Burt Reynolds spent his bitter final months making a series of bizarre TV appearances — with pals convinced that the ailing actor was back on the painkillers that sent him into heart surgery! The beloved “Smokey and the Bandit” star passed away on Sept. 6 from a cardiac arrest, shortly after insiders told The National ENQUIRER: “Burt is back on pain pills again. Friends and family members are concerned he could overdose and kill himself!” Instead, Burt’s heart gave out as the broke and ailing star continued to constantly work, having last taken a big hit financially in a final settlement over his brutal 1994 divorce from Loni Anderson. The actor had gone public about his prescription to painkillers after being denied pills when rushed into surgery in 2010 for five blocked heart arteries — with doctors saying Burt’s pill-popping was likely responsible for his grave condition!
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The actor
tried to hide his health problems, but hoped that publicizing his battle with painkillers would inspire others to seek professional help in order to recover from addiction. Burt wrote in his autobiography, "Enough About Me," that he was knocking back 50 pills a day and ended up looking like “a cadaver.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
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But his friends feared that Burt had gone back to relying on pills
to take care of his multiple health woes — staring with football injuries from his days as a college quarterback, and made worse by insisting on doing his own stunts in action films like "Deliverance."
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Ironically, Burt was promoting "Enough About Me" when
he made public appearances that terrified his pals. After an appearance on the Australian TV show “Sunrise,” co-host David Koch later complained that Burt “appeared high on drugs” as he aggressively flirted with female co-host Sam Armytage — saying: “i’d like to show you the rest of the house, darling.”
Photo credit: Mega
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Burt only made his fans more concerned with a bizarre visit to "Today" while promoting "The Last Movie Star" —
having already gotten into a feud with co-star
Ariel Winter before the film's premiere! The disastrous appearance included an attempt to compliment
Hoda Kotb by telling her: "I am so proud of you for not having your lips larger." He later apologized, saying: "I don’t know what the hell I said."
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Things got even weirder when Burt tried to explain what he told Hoda about falling in love with "Smokey and the Bandit" co-star
Sally Field. "She was seven when I fell in love with her," the ailing star told a confused Hoda. "She stayed seven for about 11 years."
Photo credit: Getty Images
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In that case, a confused Burt insisted to USA Today : "I didn’t say '7.' I said '37,' I think." Sadly, the tape told the tale differently! Sadly, claimed the concerned insider, Burt was explaining away his behavior while spending any time away from the cameras hidden "in his darkened bedroom."
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"Most of the time, Burt’s groggy and out of it,” said the insider, who was already convinced that the star was once again abusing medications that would put a strain on ailing actor's heart.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The actor
tried to hide his health problems, but hoped that publicizing his battle with painkillers would inspire others to seek professional help in order to recover from addiction. Burt wrote in his autobiography, "Enough About Me," that he was knocking back 50 pills a day and ended up looking like “a cadaver.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
But his friends feared that Burt had gone back to relying on pills
to take care of his multiple health woes — staring with football injuries from his days as a college quarterback, and made worse by insisting on doing his own stunts in action films like "Deliverance."
Photo credit: Getty Images
Ironically, Burt was promoting "Enough About Me" when
he made public appearances that terrified his pals. After an appearance on the Australian TV show “Sunrise,” co-host David Koch later complained that Burt “appeared high on drugs” as he aggressively flirted with female co-host Sam Armytage — saying: “i’d like to show you the rest of the house, darling.”
Burt only made his fans more concerned with a bizarre visit to "Today" while promoting "The Last Movie Star" —
having already gotten into a feud with co-star
Ariel Winter before the film's premiere! The disastrous appearance included an attempt to compliment
Hoda Kotb by telling her: "I am so proud of you for not having your lips larger." He later apologized, saying: "I don’t know what the hell I said."
Things got even weirder when Burt tried to explain what he told Hoda about falling in love with "Smokey and the Bandit" co-star
Sally Field. "She was seven when I fell in love with her," the ailing star told a confused Hoda. "She stayed seven for about 11 years."
Photo credit: Getty Images
In that case, a confused Burt insisted to USA Today : "I didn’t say '7.' I said '37,' I think." Sadly, the tape told the tale differently! Sadly, claimed the concerned insider, Burt was explaining away his behavior while spending any time away from the cameras hidden "in his darkened bedroom."
"Most of the time, Burt’s groggy and out of it,” said the insider, who was already convinced that the star was once again abusing medications that would put a strain on ailing actor's heart.
Photo credit: Getty Images
