Bob Saget Had Catastrophic Injuries to His Head, Was COVID Positive When He Died: Autopsy

Read more about Bob Saget on his website.

Bob Saget Died From Severe Head Injuries, Autopsy Shows

MONDAY, Feb. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Comedian Bob Saget died after a severe blow to his head fractured his skull in several spots and caused bleeding across both sides of his brain, an autopsy report shows.

“It is most probable that the decedent suffered an unwitnessed fall backwards and struck the posterior aspect of his head,” the report by the chief medical examiner of Orange and Osceola counties in Florida stated.

But questions remain about how exactly Saget, 65, was so badly hurt. He was found dead in a hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lake, on Jan. 9 during a weekend of stand-up comedy performances. His family said this week that the authorities determined that he had hit his head, “thought nothing of it and went to sleep.”

If the actor struck his head hard enough, and in just the wrong place, it is possible that fractures would have extended to other parts of his skull, brain injury experts told The New York Times.

“It’s like an egg cracking,” said Dr. Jeffrey Bazarian, an emergency physician and concussion expert at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “You hit it in one spot, and it can crack from the back to the front.”

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But experts said that with such an extensive injury, it was unlikely that Saget could have ignored it since that severe an injury would likely have left him confused, if not unconscious.

“I doubt he was lucid,” Bazarian told the Times, “and doubt he thought, ‘I’m just going to sleep this off.’”

However, the autopsy found no injuries to other parts of Saget’s body, as would be expected in a lengthier fall. The medical examiner ruled that the death was accidental.

“This is significant trauma,” Dr. Gavin Britz, chair in neurosurgery at Houston Methodist, told the Times. “This is something I find with someone with a baseball bat to the head, or who has fallen from 20 or 30 feet.”

Britz noted that the autopsy described fractures to particularly thick parts of the skull, as well as to bones in the roof of the eye socket. “If you fracture your orbit,” he said, referring to those eye bones, “you have significant pain.”

No alcohol or illegal drugs were detected in the actor’s system, according to the autopsy, the Times reported. But there were signs of Klonopin, a benzodiazepine that is used to prevent seizures and treat panic attacks. Tests also found traces of the antidepressant Trazodone.

There was no indication in the autopsy that either of those drugs contributed to Saget’s injuries, but doctors said that they could make people sleepy and contribute to a fall, the Times reported.

Best known for playing Danny Tanner on “Full House” and “Fuller House” and as the host of “American’s Funniest Home Videos,” Saget had tweeted earlier on the day he died, thanking the “appreciative audience.”

“I had no idea I did a 2 hr set tonight,” he said. “I’m happily addicted again to this.”

Saget was born in Philadelphia and graduated from Temple University in 1978 before becoming a comedian. He studied film at Temple, receiving a student Academy Award for documentary merit for the film titled “Through Adam’s Eyes.”

His stand-up routines were known to be raunchy and filled with profanity, even though he was conversely known for playing squeaky-clean characters on his network television shows.

In 2017, Saget told Jimmy Kimmel how long-time friend and comedian Don Rickles described his act. Rickles said Saget “comes out like a Jewish Clark Kent.” Saget then sang about a dog and a monkey before using a verb censored on network television, the Times said.

From 1987 to 1995, Saget played a widowed father who was raising two daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and best friend on the family show “Full House.” His co-stars included John Stamos, Lori Loughlin, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Candace Cameron Bure.

Shortly after Saget’s death, Stamos tweeted, “I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby.”

More information

Read more about Bob Saget on his website.

SOURCE: The New York Times

Bob Saget Had Catastrophic Injuries to His Head, Was COVID Positive When He Died: Autopsy

Bob Saget died on Jan. 9 at age 65. He was found in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida

Joelle Goldstein is a TV Staff Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand for five years, beginning her time as a digital news writer, where she covered everything from entertainment news to crime stories and royal tours. Since then, she has worked as a writer-reporter on the Human Interest team and an associate editor on the TV team. In her current role, Joelle oversees all things TV and enjoys being able to say she has to watch The Kardashians, Dancing with the Stars and America’s Got Talent for “work”. Prior to joining PEOPLE, Joelle was employed at The Hollywood Reporter. She graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Television-Radio (and an appearance in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Final Four!)

Published on February 10, 2022 03:21 PM

Bob Saget’s autopsy results have been released.

A report from the Orange County Medical Examiner, obtained by PEOPLE on Thursday, stated that Saget had likely fallen backward and hit the back of his head. He had fractures to the back of his head and around his eyes at the time of his death.

Per the report, the beloved Full House actor had posterior scalp abrasions, subgaleal hemorrhage (which is blood that forms between skull and scalp), discoloration in the upper and lower eyelids due to skull fracture, subdural hematoma (which is a buildup of blood on the surface of the brain) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (which is bleeding in the space that surrounds the brain).

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Saget was also COVID-19 positive at the time of his death, according to the autopsy.

Though Saget did not have any illicit drugs or toxins in his system, the report stated that he was taking the prescription drug clonazepam, which treats seizures, panic disorder, and anxiety.

Additionally, Saget’s autopsy stated that he had cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart), coronary artery atherosclerosis (damage or disease in the heart’s major blood vessels) and aortic atherosclerosis (plaque build-up inside the wall of the aorta).

Dr. Roshini Raj, an Associate Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Health, told PEOPLE, “This report shows that the [skull and] brain suffered trauma which led to skull fractures, bruising of the brain and actual bleeding in the space around the brain. This blood can compress the brain and cause death. The coroner determined that this trauma was most likely caused by an accidental fall backward.”

Speaking about the fracture around Saget’s eyes, Raj said, “The head hits something hard and the skull fractures in different places including the orbits (the part of the skull around the eyes) and that causes bleeding which compresses the brain. The force of the hit on the head can also directly bruise and damage the brain.”

The report comes one day after Saget’s cause of death was confirmed in a statement by his family. (Saget is survived by his wife Kelly Rizzo and his three daughters — Aubrey, 34, Lara, 32, and Jennifer, 29 — whom he shared with ex-wife Sherri Kramer.)

“The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma,” the Saget family said on Wednesday. “They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.”

Saget’s family added that they’ve been “overwhelmed with the incredible outpouring of love from Bob’s fans” in the weeks since his death, and that the support has “been a great comfort to us and for which we are eternally grateful.”

“Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities’ investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us,” they continued. “As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter.”

On Thursday, Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, MD said in a toxicology analysis that the actor’s death was “the result of blunt head trauma.”

“In consideration of the circumstances surrounding the death and after examination of the body, toxicology analysis, histology, and a respiratory pathogen panel, it is my opinion that the death of Mr. Saget, was the result of blunt head trauma,” Stephany stated. “His injuries were most likely incurred from an unwitnessed fall. A toxicology analysis did not reveal any illicit drugs or toxins. The manner of death is accident.”

At the time, the Orange County Sherriff’s Department also told PEOPLE “the case is still open” regarding the investigation into Saget’s death.

Saget died on Jan. 9 at age 65. He was found in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida. When Saget’s autopsy was completed on Jan. 10, authorities had said there was “no evidence of drug use or foul play.”

The night before his death, the comedian performed what would be his final stand-up show outside of Jacksonville at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Saget also shared a selfie following the two-hour set and praised the “really nice audience,” adding, “Lots of positivity.”

One of Saget’s most beloved roles was portraying widower and father of three, Danny Tanner, on Full House. The family sitcom ran from the fall of 1987 through May 1995.

The cast was among Saget’s closest friends who were in attendance on Jan. 14 when he was laid to rest during a private ceremony in Los Angeles.

The following day, Rizzo, 42, spoke out on social media and shared a touching Instagram tribute to her late husband.

“I’m trying, really trying, to not think I was robbed of time. But instead to think: How lucky was I that I got to be the one to be married to THE MOST INCREDIBLE MAN ON EARTH,” she wrote in part. “I was the one who got to go on this crazy ride with him and be in his life these last 6 years. We had that time to make each other the happiest we’d ever been and change each other’s lives forever.”

“We loved each other so damn much and told each other 500 times every day. Constantly,” she added. “I know how much he loved me until the very last moment and he knew the same. I’m so grateful for that.”

In the weeks since, Saget’s friends have continued to honor him, most recently with a tribute event at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, which John Stamos said was “the sendoff he would have truly loved.”

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On Wednesday, Rizzo honored her husband on the one-month anniversary of his death by posting a video montage of her and Saget enjoying food and drinks around the world.

“One month without this incredible man,” she wrote along with the emotional Instagram clip. “Bob truly lived life to its fullest. He had so many hardships over the years that he would always tell me ‘look, life is hard, we need to enjoy it as much as possible.’ And one of the best ways we did that together was sharing and exploring amazing food around the world.”

“We were in our happy place together whenever we were out at a restaurant, hotel lobby bar, or even our own kitchen when I would try out a new creation on him,” she added, before concluding her post with, “Experiencing simple pleasures in life like that brought him so much joy. I can’t even put into words how much I will miss this.”