Chef Michael Chiarello Allegedly Took Drug Known for Weight Loss Weeks Before His Death – JP

More details are surfacing about Michael Chiarello‘s final days. 

The former Food Network star died in October at age 61 after being treated for an acute allergic reaction at a hospital in Napa, Calif., his company Gruppo Chiarello said in a statement Oct. 7. 

“The doctors don’t know what caused the allergic reaction and neither does the family,” a rep for Gruppo Chiarello told People at the time. “They may never know.”

An anaphylactic shock he suffered as a result of the allergic reaction ultimately led to a fatal heart attack, the Napa County Coroner’s Office told multiple outlets. Cocaine was found his system at the time of death, per the coroner, though authorities do not believe he overdosed.

Officials have now revealed more information about his health prior to the episode. Michael’s estranged wife Eileen told authorities the chef said “he was on a new weight loss drug called Ozempic or something similar” prior to his passing, per a report from the Napa County Sheriff-Coroner obtained by Entertainment Tonight.

“It was her understanding the drug was a diabetic medication that had recently found use as a weight loss medication,” the report said. “She knew Ozempic was given by injection, but did not know how it was administered to [Michael].”