Report: Farley's death might involve drugs

By MATTHEW FOX -- Associated Press

 CHICAGO -- Chris Farley, the "Saturday Night Live" comic whose specialty was sweaty, tightly wound characters who erupted in vein-popping frenzies, was found dead Thursday.
 
 Farley, 33, was found dead in a condominium apartment on Chicago's Near North Side that was believed to belong to a friend. Authorities said he had suffered a heart attack and there was no sign of foul play. However, an unidentified spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said Farley was found with a blood-tinged fluid coming from his nose and a white, frothy fluid spilling from his mouth, indicating his death might have been drug-related, the Chicago Tribune newspaper reported today.
 
 Farley died young like his comic idol, John Belushi. Both had a hearty appetite for food and drink and drugs.
 
 Police said Farley's brother John called 911 after finding his brother in his 60th-floor apartment in the 100-story John Hancock Building on a stretch of Michigan Avenue known as the Magnificent Mile. There was no sign of foul play.
 
 The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said Farley's body, clad in pajama bottoms, was found on the floor in the entranceway to the apartment. An autopsy was planned for Friday.
 
 Police said their initial sweep of the apartment found no drugs. The search, however, was not complete, said Sgt. Robert Delaney.
 
 In a recent interview with Steppin' Out magazine, Farley's frequent co-star David Spade said he was concerned for the 290-pound, size-54 comic.
 
 "I mean, the fact that he cut out drugs and alcohol is the biggest thing," Spade said. "But he's my friend and I'm just concerned. ... He needs to watch his weight, he drinks too much coffee, he smokes."
 
 On NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Farley's characters were clearly inspired by Belushi, who also became a star on "SNL" and died of a drug overdose in 1982. He, too, was 33. Farley left the show in 1995.
 
 Farley's characters included the motivational speaker Matt Foley, who ended his speeches by smashing through the furniture in a froth, his blond hair mussed and his garish plaid sports jacket bursting at the seams.
 
 In another recurring "SNL" skit, Farley downed beers and bratwurst as a fan of the Chicago's beloved "Da Bears." football team. He also played a flabby, barechested Chippendales dancer, his jiggling gut spilling over his waistband.
 
 He did an impersonation of Newt Gingrich on the floor of Congress in 1995, with Gingrich himself looking on.
 
 Gingrich released a statement offering his condolences to Farley's family and friends.
 
 "Two years ago, he gave members of Congress a particularly memorable performance. He brought us the same laughter and happiness as he did to his millions of fans," the House speaker said.
 
 In the movies "Tommy Boy," Beverly Hills Ninja" and "Black Sheep," he played the same kind of lovable, bumbling slob.
 
 "Although I love this kind of comedy, sometimes I feel trapped by always having to be the most outrageous guy in the room," Farley said in 1996. "In particular, I'm working on trying not to be that guy in my private life."
 
 "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels "told me that that's what killed Belushi more than anything else," Farley said.
 
 In an Us magazine article this year titled "Chris Farley: On the Edge of Disaster," Farley's manager Marc Gurvitz said he was worried about the comic, even though he felt his long battle with booze and drugs was under control.
 
 "He's got a big career and a great life ahead of him," Gurvitz told the magazine. "But will he go the route of John Candy if he's not careful? Of course he will." Candy died of a heart attack in 1994 at age 43.
 
 Last year, Farley completed the movie "Almost Heroes" with "Friends" star Matthew Perry. The comedy, in which the two play hapless explorers trying to compete with Lewis and Clark, is scheduled to be released in 1998 by Warner Bros.
 
 Charna Halpern, a close friend of Farley's who is director of Chicago's Improv Olympic theater school where Farley studied during the 1980s, said she saw Farley at a Christmas party on Monday.
 
 "He was fine, talking to everyone," she said. "He was having a ball."
 
 She said she had heard rumors of Farley's heavy alcohol and hard drug use.
 
 "Was it a problem, was it recreational? I don't know. He loved to drink," she said. "I don't think he felt in control."
 
 Former "SNL" comic Chris Rock said Farley "was one of my best friends and one of the funniest guys I've ever known. I love him and I'm going to miss him."
 
 Added former "SNL" colleague Adam Sandler: "We who knew him are going to miss him every day. My thoughts go out to his family, whom he loved and respected more than anything in his life."
 
 Farley, a 1986 graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, performed with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe before joining the cast of "Saturday Night Live" for the 1990 season and remained until 1995.
 
 "Chris was many things: talented, funny, gentle and kind," said Andrew Alexander, executive producer of Chicago's Second City comedy troupe.
 
 "Chris was a puppy," said Lenette Collias, who worked backstage at Second City and knew Farley for several years. "He made everyone laugh."