It seemed so simple at first – Donda West died because her surgeon Dr Jan Adams was a drunken maniac who couldn't tell the difference between a scalpel and a banana.
Only it turns out that's not the case at all. The final coroner's report into the untimely death of Donda West – mother of Kanye – has failed to determine a conclusive manner of death, although surgical misadventure has been ruled out.
Great – we can buy Jan Adams' book Everything Women Of Colour Should Know About Cosmetic Surgery in good faith again. It's about time because, as women of colour ourselves, there's just so much we want to know.
There are seven well-established stages in the grieving process – shock, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression and acceptance – although in the case of Donda West's tragic death we can probably slot an eighth stage entitled 'mercilessly hounding the plastic surgeon' somewhere between anger and depression.
Because once it emerged that Donda West died after receiving cosmetic surgery, everyone naturally turned to the surgeon who performed the procedure for answers. Unfortunately it turns out that Dr Jan Adams, the surgeon in question, had what you might call a bit of a spotty history.
News outlets were flooded with claims that Jan Adams was constantly getting in trouble for DUI, that he routinely botched breast enlargements and liposuction surgery, that once he sewed a sponge inside a woman by mistake and that he got a woman drunk deliberately so he could get her pregnant. Throw in an almost dementedly suspicious appearance on Larry King and it seemed clear to all that the blame for Donda West's death lay squarely at Jan Adams' feet.
Except it turns out that's not the case at all. The final 17-page coroner's report into Donda West's death was released yesterday and, although it's remarkably inconclusive, it appears to put Jan Adams in the clear. Reuters reports:
In a 17-page final autopsy report, the coroner's office attributed the death of Donda West, 58, to coronary artery disease and a number of factors related to her cosmetic surgery the day before. The final autopsy report released on Thursday is inconclusive, saying that West "died from some pre-existing coronary artery disease and multiple post-operative factors following surgery." Among the factors listed by Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Luis Pena were aspiration of vomit, focal pneumonia, tight bandaging of the torso and her use of pain medication. "Based on the history and available information, as currently known, the manner of death could not be determined."
So it seems as if Donda West's death was down to a number of unfortunate underlying preexisting complications and can't be pinned to any one solid thing. While this could mean that Donda West's family will be able to move on from this traumatic experience, it's equally likely that it'll kickstart another lengthy round of agonising questions and accusations.
Read more:
Cause of death for Kanye West's mother said unclear – Reuters