Did they ever find out for sure if Dana committed suicide or if she was murdered? I remember they were checking out her boyfriend.

she died of a drug overdose in 1999

It was ruled a suicide by the coroner. However, I don't think Dana would have intentionally killed herself. She cared too much about her son to have done that. I think she was just so depressed after going on Howard Stern that she tried to drown her sorrows in drugs temporarily.

Which it really is a shame. The minute Dana died they should've pulled that ******* off the airwaves.

Oh God......They played the E!True Hollywood story about Dana again. I know I sound like a broken record, but......my whole day has just been depressing after watching a little of it again. Man, it's sad.

Originally posted by Jenny
Which it really is a shame. The minute Dana died they should've pulled that ******* off the airwaves.

Yes. Let's blame Howard Stern. After all, it was his fault that Dana Plato was a junkie. What a cruel, cruel man for killing her.

Get a dose reality, folks.

Originally posted by AKA


Yes. Let's blame Howard Stern. After all, it was his fault that Dana Plato was a junkie. What a cruel, cruel man for killing her.

Get a dose reality, folks.

Look, when Dana was on the show all the viewers called in and treated her like ****. If she hadn't been on the show and been violated to all the ****, she could still be here today. I think she was trying to get off the drugs, but when she went on his show it just all happened. Who knows?

I feel so bad about that... :( She was so good on Diff'rent Strokes, HS is a ****er!

Originally posted by AKA


Yes. Let's blame Howard Stern. After all, it was his fault that Dana Plato was a junkie. What a cruel, cruel man for killing her.

Get a dose reality, folks.


It would be pretty dumb not mention Howard Stern especially in this circumstance. I would have to say even the name Howard Stern brings up contraversy especially when someone dies right after being on his show.......and it's a suicide! Hmmmm....I don't know about you AKA, but that definately gives me chills behind my back. Do I think he's a cold blooded murderer? No. But I do think he had some part to do with it. And it's not just him, it's the show, and the people around the show, especially the callers. Dana had been going through many troubles before going on the show. IMO, I SPECULATE that it was being on that show----that ultimately put her over the edge. And I bet it was pretty humilating and I know what the Stern show is about, I have not seen the Dana Plato interview or have heard it on the internet NOR do I want to.

But part of this tragedy deals with just treating people how you would want to be treated, similar to the Columbine shootings. If we just learn to respect and help others, this sort of thing will won't happen or well, at least not so often. Dana went through so much hell in her life. The last thing she needed was someone to break her heart. It's just not worth it.

That's why I think Jenny,some of the others in this board, and me personally feel that way about Stern. I'm sure he is a nice guy, but.......it's too little too late. We can't bring Dana back.......

http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/bin/imageserver.x/00000000/moviepics/PLATO42671.JPG
From what I have heard, Dana was one of the most kindest human beings, she always gave autographs to those who wanted one, and was just a flat out sweetheart. Like, Wayne Newton said, "she was born with beauty and talent." It's just terrible that we have to talk about her like this. I would feel a lot better, if she just died happy. It's terrible, just terrible how her life ended........

I'm really interested to find out more about Dana's life, the True Hollwood Stroy is in the post to me at the moment so I'm looking forward to seeing it.

I agree with Curtis' statements and just wanted to say that I don't think Howard Stern killed Dana, but I do think her appearance on his show put her over the edge. I don't think Stern was mean to her, but the type of callers his show attracts are jerks. There was no reason for those people to slam Dana.

Jethro, you might want to check out a story written by Kitt Flynn. He has posted messages on here. You should email him and check out his story. He had the great pleasure of meeting Dana several years ago.

Thanks, I already read Kit Flynn's story, he sent it to me a while ago, I thought it was very interesting and sad, now I'm just interested to watch some interviews etc.

Althogh I probably can't judge an acurate opinion till I've seen it, I think she looked really lovely in Diffrent Strokes.

I've read your replies and you all have valid points, but here's what I think:

Dana went onto The Howard Stern Show. She should have expected for him, his entourage, and his callers to either treat her like **** for her drug problems and/or video store incident, ask her to take off her top, or all of the above. That's just the kind of show he has.

If the things Howard and his ilk were saying to her during the show was enough to make her go back on drugs, she either:

a.) was lying about having cleaned up on the '98 E! True Hollywood Story,

b.) relapsed somewhere between the THS and her death, or

c.) had very weak willpower.

Howard is famous for not being a courteous host, and I highly doubt Dana didn't expect to be barraged with negative comments.

Any way you slice it, Dana's death was incredibly tragic, especially considering her age, and while I feel slightly sorry for her, I feel very sorry for her son and those who loved her.

And while I don't think it was a suicide, I do think that ultimately, she did kill herself. The only person responsible for Dana's death is Dana.

We can point fingers in many directions of people Dana crossed paths with from birth to death, but when you get to the bottom of the jar, Dana made a lot of bad choices in her life and taking drugs is one of them.

From all accounts I've heard, Dana was a very wonderful person with a heart of gold, but the profession she delved into at a young age, along with the lack of parental guidance, was just too much for her. But the fact remains Dana and Dana alone made the choice to take drugs. It's incredibly sad.

I'm not sure if there's an afterlife, but if there is, I hope she's found peace.

Thank you very much for reading,
AKA

To AKA:
The profession she delved into at a young age? That's right. She was inserted into the profession at the age of about 6. I would hardly call that her choice alone. She had been subjected to alcohol and other drugs at such a young age that she can't reasonably be held solely responsible for the choice. AA and NA and programs like those are centered around support groups. They are of the opinion that anyones battles with addictions are hard fought and shouldn't be fought alone. Why don't you quit beating up on Dana alone and hold the damn society responsible for some of the tragedies that are repeated again and again. She was exploited by the entertainment industry among others. Sure it all comes down to each individual in the proverbial perfect world but we don't live in one of those. So, I have no hesitation in spreading the blame around to people such as Stearn. Some of us are more sensitive than others. I know myself, public ridicule the likes of which she was subjected to, I would have a very difficult time brushing it aside. I'd be overcome with lonliness and heartache. It's easy to say from the outside how she should have responded. But just try to really imagine yourself being humiliated like she was, and then be honest about how you might feel.

She had been on his show before and I believe she called him her friend or the other way around. While she should have expected that kind of treatment from Howard Stern himself, he should have put an end to the calls immediately. He should have seen how emotional she was and stopped them. If Dana really felt bad about the show though, why did she call him and thank him for letting her be on the show afterward?? There is so much more to this story than what you've read, the truth may or may not come out at some point but it was never a suicide.

I've always desperately hoped that Dana didn't purposely take her own life. It's painfull to think about her being that sad. When I said that Howard Stearn holds some blame, I didn't mean necessarily for her death. On that one day of her life though, he ran a radio show irresponsibly. I wouldn't know if Dana saw it that way, but I do. If and when more should come out about what happened to Dana, that fact won't change.

I agree with what Kitt said. By the way, nice seeing you back on the boards again.

About TJ's comment:
Maybe Dana thanked him for being on the show just to tell to Stern that she was not at all intimidated but in fact she was. Many people try to cover up because they know they made a mistake. I do it. I don't know if Dana realized it before going on the show, but it was definately a mistake. But we may never know why. Maybe Dana was a just a nice person and knew that it was her fault to come on the show and probably Stern told her it was; and exchanged thank yous and no hard feelings. But know one knows how it felt to be listening to those callers and Stern but, Dana.

This was probably eating her up inside. As for her death, it was shown that Dana had some suicidal tendencies such as cuts on her wrists. Being on the show and listening to negative remarks about her totally crushed her spirt and probably her will to live. This is only my assumption but, there is evidence that it could possible be a suicide. But we will never know. We don't know what was going through Dana's mind.


AND it was society that utimately killed her (like the Stern show)!!! You don't have to agree with it or not but it's MY opinion!!!! And you must respect that and how I might feel or how others feel, because I love and miss Dana Plato as a person, an actress, and as a loving human being!