Bob Saget was Covid positive when he died from accidental fall and brain bleed
The tragic death of Bob Saget has officially been confirmed to be the result of blunt head trauma, the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said on February 11, 2022. The autopsy report backs up what Saget's family confirmed days ago, that the actor did not die from a heart attack or stroke.
Saget was found dead in his hotel room "tucked in bed" on January 9, 2022. He was found by a member of the Ritz-Carlton staff, who tried to revive him with CPR, but to no avail. Police initially suspected a heart attack or stroke, after they found no evidence of foul play or drug use. He was laid to rest on January 14, with a star-studded funeral at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Mount Sinai memorial park.
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On February 10, Saget's widow Kelly Rizzo issued a statement confirming the real cause of death - an injury from hitting his head somewhere that led to a brain bleed. We can now confirm that is indeed the case, with the ME's report, which also highlights the deadly long-term effects of Covid-19.
Head injury, Covid-19 noted in the autopsy
"It is the most probable that the decedent suffered an unwitnessed fall backwards and struck the posterior aspect of his head. The manner of death is accident," noted Dr. Joshua D. Stephany, the ME for Orange County. Rizzo said similarly, "They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep." However, there's another key finding from the autopsy the ME noted - Covid-19.
On January 5, just days before he died, Saget appeared on a podcast and said, "It is not good. It does not feel good. I had it. "I don't know if I had Delta or I might have had a combo. They might have been working together." It's unclear when exactly he had contracted Covid-19, but we do know he was fully vaccinated (including with a booster shot) as of December 13. We do know he did not have Covid-19 the day he died, because he had just come off a set at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Jacksonville, Florida.
However, it appears he still had Covid-19 in his system, as the ME detected it, but noted there was no "evidence of acute or chronic inflammation by microscopy." This seems to be on par with most cases, where people can still test positive weeks after recovering from the virus. The autopsy does make it clear that Covid-19 or the vaccines had nothing to do with Saget's death, as some anti-vaxxers have claimed online.
Tragically, it appears he hit his head really hard on something, causing a fracture that killed him. It marks a tragic end to one of America's most beloved actors and comedians, who continues to be mourned weeks after his death.