Bubba Smith Died of Drug Intoxication, Coroner Says

(NewsCore) - The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled Wednesday that NFL star-turned-actor Charles "Bubba" Smith died of drug intoxication combined with other ailments, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Smith's body was discovered in his Los Angeles home Aug. 3 by a caretaker.

According to the coroner's report, the 66-year-old Smith had high levels of the weight-loss drug phentermine in his system. Phentermine is commonly used in diet drugs as an appetite suppressant.

The autopsy also found Smith's heart to be enlarged, weighing twice as much as a normal heart, with some of the arteries around his heart blocked by as much 75 percent. Smith also suffered from high blood pressure, according to the report.

Smith, who played "Moses Hightower" in the "Police Academy" movies, played in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts, Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers between 1967 and 1976.

The six-foot-seven defensive lineman made two Pro Bowl appearances during his nine-year career and was named a first-team All-Pro in 1971.

Smith was a member of the Baltimore Colts team that beat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13 in Super Bowl V.

The Beaumont, Texas native was a two-time All-American at Michigan State before the Colts drafted him with the first overall pick in 1967. Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Spartans retired his No. 95 jersey in 2006.

Smith's fame skyrocketed in 1984 with the release of "Police Academy," in which he portrayed the soft-spoken, yet physically dominating Hightower. He also appeared in numerous Miller Lite commercials alongside NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus.

Source: The Los Angeles Times