Los Angeles police robbery-homicide detectives today investigated the death of Andrew Getty, a 47-year-old grandson of the late oil billionaire J. Paul Getty, which the coroner’s office said was the result of natural causes or an accident.
Getty was found lying on his side in a hallway near a bathroom of his home in the 2900 block of Montcalm Avenue in the Hollywood Hills around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, and Ann and Gordon P. Getty later confirmed their son’s death in a statement.
Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Smith told the Los Angeles Times that it was still “very, very early in the investigation” but, based on initial observations, “this does not appear immediately to be a criminal act.”
Getty had claimed to have been feeling unwell for several months and had an appointment with his personal physician scheduled today, said coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter, adding that investigators collected some bottles of prescription medication at the scene.
Smith said police received a 911 call around 2 p.m. from a female inside the home. The case is being handled by the LAPD’s elite robbery-homicide detectives because of its high-profile nature, The Times reported.
Toxicology tests will be conducted as part of the autopsy, Winter said. It usually takes six weeks for results of those test results to become available.
The entertainment news website TMZ reported that Andrew Getty’s ex- girlfriend made the 911 call, reporting he had suffered a cardiac arrest. The website also reported that police have responded more than 30 times to domestic dispute calls involving the couple in the past.
Getty filed court papers two weeks ago seeking a restraining order against a woman, The Times reported.
Gordon P. Getty, Andrew Getty’s father, was reported by Forbes in 2011 to have a net worth of $2 billion. Forbes last year listed the Getty family 54th on a list of America’s Richest Families.
The Getty family has had a colorful history. J. Paul Getty had five children from five marriages. One of his daughters-in-law died of a heroin overdose. J. Paul Getty III was kidnapped in the 1970s and had one of his ears cut off before his grandfather agreed to pay the ransom.
About a decade after J. Paul Getty died in 1976, Gordon Getty arranged the sale of Getty Oil to Texaco.
