Chris Farley overdose death

Christopher Crosby Farley was an American comedian and actor who rose to fame through his role on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Farley gained further success through several comedy films in the 1990s, including Tommy Boy, Coneheads, and Black Sheep, and is most widely known for his collaborations with comedian David Spade. He died suddenly on December 18, 1997 at age 33 of cardiac arrest due to drug overdose.

In the years before his death, Farley sought treatment for obesity and drug abuse on 17 separate occasions. At 5’8”, Farley weighed close to 300 pounds at the time of his death.

Farley was found dead in his Chicago apartment by his younger brother John. An autopsy later revealed that he had overdosed on a combination of cocaine and morphine, which resulted in cardiac arrest. His death was similar to the death of John Belushi, who also starred in Saturday Night Live. Both died at age 33 from a drug overdose involving cocaine and opiates.

Farley’s private funeral was attended by more than 500 people, including Phil Hartman (who would be shot and killed by his wife five months later), Adam Sandler, Brendan Fraser, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Meyers, Christopher Walken, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Tom Arnold, and more. Notably absent was frequent co-star David Spade, who later said he did not attend the funeral because he “could not be in a room where Chris was in a box.”