14 DAY TRIAL // Casey Johnson, the 30-year-old heiress to the Johnson & Johnson empire, was found dead in her Los Angeles apartment a few hours ago, the New York Times informs. Although no cause of death has yet been revealed to the media, it is believed the socialite had been dead for several days before her body was discovered. Police have opened a death investigation.
Although not a very visible figure in the tabloid media, Johnson was a well-known one in select circles, especially since she counted the Hilton sisters among her best friends and was reportedly engaged to reality star Tila Tequila. In recent months, Casey grabbed the attention of the international media after an ex-girlfriend accused her of theft, after she allegedly broke into her apartment and left with jewelry and legal documents.
An avid Twitter user, Johnson’s last tweet was on December 29, which would seem to indicate she died on that day, Tequila believes. “The Jets announced Monday that Casey Johnson, a daughter of the team’s owner, Woody Johnson, had died in Los Angeles. The cause of the death was undetermined. Ms. Johnson was 30. Ms. Johnson, whose great-great-grandfather was a co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson health products manufacturer, grew up on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. She and her socialite cohorts, including Paris and Nicky Hilton, the hotel heiresses, were featured in the 2002 documentary, ‘The It Girls’,” the NY Times writes.
“Ms. Johnson is survived by her parents, two sisters and a daughter, Ava-Monroe, whom she adopted from Kazakhstan in 2007. […] The Johnson family name is one of the most prominent in the country, with interests in sports, health care, business and philanthropy through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mr. Johnson bought the Jets football team in 2000 for $635 million,” the publication goes on to say.
The news of Casey’s passing has already been confirmed by Tila Tequila, her fiancée by all means and judging on their many public displays of affection and statements, to the delight of the paparazzi. Police have opened an investigation into her death, which means a cause of death should also be made public in the days to come. Keep an eye on this space for when that happens.