LOS ANGELES — Conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart died of heart failure and hardening of the arteries, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office said Friday.
Releasing Breitbart’s autopsy results, the coroner’s office deemed the 43-year-old’s death was natural when he collapsed near his Los Angeles home on March 1, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The office said his death was caused by heart failure and hypertropic cardiomyopathy with focal coronary atherosclerosis, the technical description for the hardening of the arteries.
Breitbart did not have any illicit drugs in his system at the time of his death. His blood alcohol level was 0.04 percent.
Breitbart reportedly had a cardiac episode last year for which he consulted a cardiologist, but he was not believed to have been prescribed medications or to have scheduled follow-up visits.
Breitbart was the publisher of several websites, including the news portals Breitbart.com and Breitbart.tv. He also launched the websites Big Hollywood, Big Government, Big Journalism and Big Peace.
The internet publisher known for his stiff critiques of celebrity culture and liberal politics began his career in journalism in 1995 working for the Drudge Report, where he selected stories and assisted in writing headlines.
Breitbart later worked as a researcher for Arianna Huffington and assisted with the creation of The Huffington Post, despite its liberal leanings.