‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ Actress Amanda Peterson Died of an Accidental Drug Overdose

‘80s film star Amanda Peterson died at 43 of respiratory failure, as a result of a deadly combination of drugs, according to a coroner report obtained by TMZ.

Peterson starred in the 1987 romantic comedy Can’t Buy Me Love, alongside actor Patrick Dempsey. She was found dead on July 5, after family members hadn’t heard from her and became concerned about her wellbeing.

While the initial cause of her death was unknown, a Weld County, Colorado coroner toxicology report states the former actress had a variety of prescription drugs, including benzodiazepines, opiates and an anti-psychotic medication, as well as marijuana in her system at the time of her death.

In the report, Peterson was described as “naive to opiates,” and the painkiller Gabapentin was found in her body at six times a normal level.

Also per the toxicology report, a week prior to her death, she informed an unidentified individual she had ingested morphine she got from friends, and was self-medicating.

She died of the so-called “morphine effect,” which causes a person to stop breathing, TMZ reports.

Her father stated in July she had suffered from a number of illnesses, as well as sleep apnea.

She had also reportedly been struggling with pneumonia and sinusitis, and spent some of her final two years living in a home with mold issues.

Peterson left Hollywood in 1994, but had been trying to pursue a career as a writer at the time of her death.