Drew Barrymore: Half-Sister Jessica Barrymore Died of Accidental Overdose

Drew Barrymore received word in late July that her half-sister Jessica Barrymore had died. It has now been determined that the forty-seven year old died of an accidental drug overdose. Jessica was fou...
Drew Barrymore: Half-Sister Jessica Barrymore Died of Accidental Overdose
Written by Kimberly Ripley

Drew Barrymore received word in late July that her half-sister Jessica Barrymore had died. It has now been determined that the forty-seven year old died of an accidental drug overdose. Jessica was found dead in her car outside of San Diego on July 29th. Pills were scattered within the car’s interior.

According to a report from the San Diego Coroner’s Office, Jessica Barrymore died of ‘acute intoxication.’ She had methamphetamine, methadone, tramadol and nordiazepam–as well as alcohol–in her bloodstream at the time of her death.

Drew Barrymore and Jessica Barrymore shared a biological father–John Barrymore. Jessica’s mother is Nina Wayne.

Drew Barrymore didn’t know her half-sister personally.

“Although I only met her briefly, I wish her and her loved ones as much peace as possible, and I’m so incredibly sorry for their loss,” she told the media.

Drew Barrymore recently gave birth to her second daughter, Frankie, this past April. Daughter Olive is almost two. How sad that her she and her half-sister didn’t have a relationship and that Jessica never got to know Drew’s daughters.

Jessica Barrymore didn’t enjoy the kind of fame and fortune that half-sister Drew Barrymore lives. Instead she worked at a pet supply store in the San Diego area. It’s uncertain whether her drug and alcohol issues stood in the way of her finding Hollywood success or not–or whether it was ever an interest or possibility. Family dynamics can often play bizarre roles in how people turn out. It might be interesting to delve into what those were for both Jessica and Drew Barrymore.

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