The cause of death was acute morphine toxicity. However, she accused her of giving sex in exchange for knowledge concerning the failure of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Salt Lake City, U.S.A.. The Cherokee County Coroners office provided Heavy.com with the official report of the Division of Forensic Science, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, into the autopsy and death of Kathleen Scruggs. She didnt go to jail for refusing to identify her source, but she was arrested twice in Buckhead on charges involving intoxication. That girl was absolutely fearless. Litigation naming the AJC was dismissed in 2011, when the Georgia Court of Appeals concluded the articles in their entirety were substantially true at the time they were published, but Scruggs didnt live to see her name cleared. She was talking to the right people. Newspaper hits out at 'Richard Jewell' movie over portrayal of reporter. It feels unfair that Kathy has been minimized in this way., In a later statement, Wilde added, Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy traded sex for tips. Nothing in my research suggested she did so, and it was never my intention to suggest she had. Eric Rudolph was found to be the actual Olympic Park bomber. The Atlanta Journal-Constitutions journalists follow the facts, because you deserve to know whats really going on. She was born on April 11, 1952, in Tyler to Cecil and Sue Scruggs. Lewis Scruggs added, Her choice of boyfriends was not great. She didnt go to jail for refusing to identify her source, but she was arrested twice in Buckhead on charges involving intoxication. Those who knew her were interviewed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to balance out the Eastwood film portrayal. She was so empty.. An appellate court ruled that her Richard Jewell stories were substantially true at the time they were published. However, that didnt make it easier on Scruggs, since she was so heavily associated with the media crush against Jewell. Severe coronary artery atherosclerosis how to make mallow tea keith sweat tour 2021 kathy scruggs sisters. She was one of the better reporters I ever worked with. Kathy was indeed an experienced journalist. Scruggs has been gone for more than 18 years. She felt confident that that would be proven in court.. This page was last modified on 19 October 2021, at 15:57. What Can 50 Naira Do For You In Nigeria Today? Caption: A scene from the movie Richard Jewell (Source: vanityfair.com). Scruggs was wearing a gray short-sleeved tee shirt with the green inscription ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY' and a pair of panties. Later, she joined Queens College and graduated with a degree in Journalism. Our Kathy Scruggs wiki tells the story of this headstrong reporter who pursued a story against all odds. According to attorney Edward Tolley, Scruggs was the genuine deal when it came to being a diligent reporter, and the depiction of her as floozy was total horse [crap].. In the last year of her life, anguished over the ongoing legal action, Scruggs was on medical leave from the newspaper. Scruggs and Martzs report claimed that the FBI was treating him as a possible suspect, searching his home and belongings and putting him under surveillance, based on the lone bomber profile. Scruggs joined the AJC after stints at two other papers. Kathy Scruggs, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter well known for coverage of law enforcement, was found dead in her Cherokee County home Sunday night. How Did She Die? Scruggs appeared to have died peacefully in her sleep, wrote Doug Monroe in a 2003 article in Atlanta Magazine. In the end, only her dog was at her side when she passed away. Colleagues say questions over her role in the demonizing of Jewell troubled her in her final years. Stop defending it", https://web.archive.org/web/20210917080903/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/13/richard-jewell-kathy-scruggs-olivia-wilde-irresponsible, "Olivia Wilde Defends Her Richard Jewell Character: Dont Reduce Her to This One Thing", https://web.archive.org/web/20210722094246/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/olivia-wilde-defends-richard-jewell-character-kathy-scruggs-1203421696/, "Clint Eastwood only hurt himself with Richard Jewell's worst clich", https://web.archive.org/web/20210805232013/https://ew.com/movies/2019/12/16/richard-jewell-female-journalist-cliche-clint-eastwood/, https://web.archive.org/web/20210805235100/https://www.ajc.com/news/local/the-ballad-kathy-scruggs/Ua5vSJBTHzkQfC1Lvs6snK/, https://web.archive.org/web/20210927215449/https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/requiem-for-a-reporter-kathy-scruggs/, "Who Was Kathy Scruggs? Use what you have. The medical examiner also stated that severe coronary artery atherosclerosis might have been a contributing factor in her death. She was hospitalized and was briefly unable to move her legs. How did she die? Furthermore, Scruggs cant defend herself. "My heart was pounding and there was an audible gasp in the packed theater.". The movie captures the messy AJC newsroom well enough and managed a spot-on recreation of Centennial Olympic Park circa 1996. Likewise, her mother Nancy was a charitable and social force in Athens before her death in 2015. Kathy Scruggs was born on September 26, 1958, in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The coroners report shows that life caught up with Scruggs in the end, although it was never clear whether she purposely took her own life. [12] However, Scruggs ran with a leak that the FBI's main suspect was Jewell, based on the theory he set up the bombing specifically so he would be regarded as a hero. Jewells personal and professional life suffered as a result of the media trial that ensued. In addition, as of the GBI medical examiner, the examination team was unable to identify whether the overdose was intentional or accidental. Were excited youre showcasing our brand, he said. That. One person was killed and over a hundred injured when the bomb went off 13 minutes after the area had been evacuated. She was born to her father Lewis Bubber Scruggs Sr. and her mother Nancy Bentley Scruggs. pic.twitter.com/w7wMTupDz2, HJ (Hank) Ellison (@hjtherealj) December 12, 2019. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. However, she ruined her career and even her life because of her drug addiction. Scruggs died of a drug overdose, specifically acute morphine toxicity. Contrary to some other news reports, the coroner could not determine whether it was an accidental one or suicide. The FBIs main suspect initially was the same man who found the bomb and saved hundreds of lives with his timely action. The coronary arteries exhibited moderate to severe atherosclerosis., Under findings and diagnoses, the following were listed: [12] The real bomber, Eric Robert Rudolph, had been an anti-abortion kook, and protesting abortion had been his motive. Only Scruggs dog, Sadie, was with her when she died. Heavy.com obtained the coroners report, which reveals that Scruggs died of a drug overdose, specifically acute morphine toxicity. Contrary to some other news reports, the coroner could not determine whether it was an accidental one or suicide. Her soul was gone. (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) Wilde plays Kathy Scruggs in Richard Jewell Biopic. The case was the subject of a Clint Eastwood movie. Centennial Olympic Park bombings are depicted in a film. Her father, Lewis Bubber Scruggs Sr., was a Gridiron Secret Society member at the University of Georgia and a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Sources differ on the details of the overdose. She had an enormous personality, said Kiss, whod worked with her elsewhere and remained a close friend. However, he was exonerated of all charges and hailed as a hero once more. The lawsuit was still ongoing at the time, and a Fulton County judge had ordered her and Martz to name their tipsters. "Kathy was just luminous," Parke said. Inside City Hall: Atlanta mayor tries to ease training center protest Henry County, Red Cross partner on Locust Grover emergency shelter, Kings legacy depends on being a part of change, leaders say, Biden evokes MLKs legacy in sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta opening warming centers through Sunday morning, Stockbridge councilman hosting community service project Saturday, On King holiday, Atlantans can view birth of I have a dream speech, The AJC reporter depicted in Richard Jewell isnt alive to defend herself against floozy portrayal. All of the ethyl alcohol may have been produced by the postmortem decomposition process. She didnt want to go to Georgia and do what the family did, her brother said. Powered by. In real life, Scruggs died without ever revealing her source. Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. The film Richard Jewell has been made by Clint Eastwood and his team in the meantime. She had intestinal surgeryShe was trying to get better. However, according to the report, she died of a drug overdose and apparently it was a suicide. Her portrayal by Olivia Wilde in Clint Eastwoods 2019 film, Richard Jewell, as a journalist using sex to obtain information, was hugely criticized by the public and news community at large and sparked a controversy. He called the police and assisted them in evacuating the area before the bomb squad arrived. Her father, who had trained as a GI reporter during World War 2, was a senior executive in the Insurance Industry. No foul play was ever suspected and the coroners reports suggested that Kathy Scruggs had passed away peacefully in her sleep. She described the feeling as like a vacuum. It was as if her soul had been ripped from her body. However, he was cleared of all suspicions and once again made a hero. Share on twitter. The GBI medical examiner claimed her cause of death was acute morphine toxicity. She was riding shotgun when Scruggs nearly wrecked her Miata, and once helped her deal with a wardrobe malfunction in a cemetery. I find it interesting that during Ms. Wildes extensive research of Kathy, she did not bother to contact me or any of Kathys very close friends, Lewis Scruggs Jr. said. Kitty flirts with the young detective assigned to a sensational homicide, shows up to a crime scene with whats left of a six-pack and finds a clue by drunkenly stumbling onto it. The last time I saw her was one of the times she came back to visit when she was on leave, said AJC retiree Joey Ledford, one of her former editors. Thats awesome!. The trial by media that followed took a toll on Jewells personal and public life. She lived hard, she played hard.. The essence of her, they could never portray in a movie.. [8] She earned a degree at Queen's College in Charlotte, North Carolina, before entering journalism herself. When it turned out that Jewell was innocent, he sued the AJC and they fought, not choosing to settle. After not found guilty, the FBI apologized to Richard. She broke away from the family tradition of attending UGA, like her parents and brother, instead enrolling at Queens University (then Queens College) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The exhaustively researched book, which also was used as source material for the film, describes Scruggs' professional dedication as well as her troubles. She was the real deal when it came to being a dedicated reporter, said attorney and family friend Edward Tolley. Along with this, Kathy was under the stress of the libel lawsuit for several years. Later in life she had Crohns disease, anxiety and other issues and with them, more prescriptions. She was never at peace or at rest with this story. Would love your thoughts, please comment. He passed away in 2009, eight years after Kathy died in 2001. The case was on appeal, and Scruggs never wavered in her convictions. Mrs. Scruggs has passed in Cherokee County, Georgia. Warner Bros and Olivia Wilde have defended the movie. She died in 2001, just shy of her 43rd birthday. My concern is theyre going to turn her into some sort of femme fatale who would do anything to get a story, said former AJC reporter Ron Martz. However, that dismissal came 10 years after Kathy Scruggs died. The AJC urged Warner Bros, which is behind the movie, to publish a disclaimer acknowledging that the makers took dramatic license in the portrayal of characters. She was so empty.. One is an alluring beauty striking a determined pose, her blond hair falling around her shoulders in soft waves. Due to the stress of the Jewell case, her health had declined over the years and she had been taking a lot of medication. Kathy was just luminous, Parke said. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Clint Eastwood-directed film salaciously and falsely portrays former reporter Kathy Scruggs trading sex for FBI tips. An appellate court later sided with the newspaper, finding that Scruggs stories correctly reported what was known at the time that, at that time, Jewell was under FBI investigation in the attack. "She was so, so alive." Scruggs was born Sept. 26, 1958 into a prominent Athens family. He is resigned at how Kathy is portrayed in the movie. When the entirely circumstantial case against Jewell fizzled, Alexander delivered a letter to Jewells lawyers stating he had been cleared. In fact, Kathy died before the development of major social media. Get all latest content delivered to your email a few times a month. Her father, Lewis "Bubber" Scruggs Sr., was a Gridiron Secret. In 1953. It was a fact that Jewell was being looked at as the main suspect and that is all she had initially reported. She should have been arrested for not revealing her source (which started the firestorm against Richard Jewell.) READ NEXT: Richard Jewells Cause of Death. It crushed her like a junebug on the sidewalk., Another friend told AJC: Her soul was gone. My father knew better. A colostomy site was present on the body. But theAJC,at Scruggs insistence, refused to settle and fought the lawsuit. Kathy Scruggs and Carla Gugino. Ultimately, as her brother said, Her heart gave away.. Controversy over media portrayals of Scruggs, "Kathy Scruggs: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know", https://web.archive.org/web/20210823175730/https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/12/kathy-scruggs-now-today/, "The Sad End to Atlanta Bombing Reporter Kathy Scruggs Life", https://web.archive.org/web/20211011121434/https://qnewshub.com/entertainment/the-sad-end-to-atlanta-bombing-reporter-kathy-scruggs-life/, "What Happened To Kathy Scruggs? What happened to journalist Kathy Scruggs, did she sleep with an FBI agent? There were no such things as social media sites at her young age. Griffin talked to Scruggs on the phone shortly before she died. "Her heart gave away. Also present in the chest fluid were paroxetine, mirtazapine, and ethyl alcohol. Scruggs was born in Athens, Georgia. Scruggs has inspired characters in at least two works of fiction. If you recall this bit of history, Richard Jewell is the security guard who saved lives during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing. My father wouldnt go over there because he wouldnt put up with her treating my mother that way.. AJC ace Kathy Scruggs broke the story that made Richard Jewell a household name. The movie was therefore released on December 13, 2019. Dont Miss:Raymond Santana Wiki,Facts About the Exonerated Central Park Five Member. Played by Olivia Wilde, Scruggs is shown as a reporter willing to go to any lengths to get a story, including offering sexual favors for information. A reporter who worked with her spoke about her network of police officers, fearlessness at crime scenes, and tendency to arrive at the scene even before the cops. Therefore, Kathy never had any social media accounts, View more / View less Facts of Kathy Scruggs. She took all this stuff that interacted with each other.. The word filter was not in her body. Kathy was American by nationality. Kathy, Nancy, and Lewis Sr. are survived by Lewis Jr., who continues his fathers legacy in the insurance business, and his wife and kids. She was found dead in her Cherokee County home, wearing an Atlanta Motor Speedway T-shirt and panties, on 2 September 2001. Unfortunately, Kathy Scruggs died of a morphine overdose and perished peacefully in her sleep. Richard Jewell was indeed the lead suspect.. Mild rigor mortis was present. ), What is clear also, though, is that Scruggs was emotionally damaged from the controversies over her journalism (sadly, the controversies continue, with people who knew her slamming the movie for what they believe is a false portrayal of her.). Reporter Kathy Scruggs, and actress Carla Gugino, portraying Scruggs. Scruggs obituary in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explained that she had suffered a variety of health problems for the past year.. There was a lot of effort put into making sure her story was given as much time as possible, but I think we struggled throughout., She becomes a suspect if you dont spend enough time with her tale. Director/executive producer Michael Dinner remarked, And I think that we spent more time with her [than the movie did]. I think weve got her covered. On Sept. 4, 2001, the AJC ran Scruggs obituary. How did she die? There were conflicting reports as to whether or not the overdose was intentional or accidental at the time of the coroners report. Kathy Scruggs, a journalist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the first to publish that the FBI was treating Jewell as a suspect and not a hero. Jewell had been a hero, all along. In 2019 two movies about Jewell were released, with Scruggs portrayed by Carla Gugino and Olivia Wilde. READ NEXT: Richard Jewells Cause of Death. Earl's siblings, older brothers Junie and Horace and older sisters Eula Mae and Ruby, all played banjo and guitar. It was this job and tenacity that landed her at the center of a storm when she was covering the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing. Martz was Scruggs reporting partner on much of the bombing coverage. The incident took place in Atlanta in 1996, during the Summer Olympics. But she was also under stress from financial problems as her medical bills mounted. Powered by. If not for Richard Jewell, the bombing at the Centennial Olympic Park in July 1996 may have killed hundreds of people. Today's Guest: We talked with Kathy Scruggs from Cullman Community Concert about Billy Dean, the last and final performer of this season! Lewis Scruggs and several of his sister's close friends and former colleagues shared their thoughts in "The Ballad of Kathy Scruggs," a recent AJC piece about the journalist who died in 2001. She wasnt on the line anymore.. It might be a rose, or a quarter, Lewis Scruggs said. Kathy Scruggs was a famous reporter known for her solid reporting. Also present in the chest fluid were paroxetine, mirtazapine, and ethyl alcohol. After his acquittal, Jewell filed libel suits against all the media outlets involved, including the AJC. AJC slammed the film in a piece published on November 26, 2019. Lewis was a World War II veteran who also co-founded Athens Insurers Inc. in 1953. Scruggs (played on film by Olivia Wilde) has her defenders who believe that the Eastwood movie is painting her in a false light. In the 1990s, Scruggs was known for her solid reporting, her tight relationship with local law enforcement, and also her hard-partying ways, something that was exacerbated after she set off the media firestorm directed at Jewell. Kathleen Scruggs died as a result of acute morphine toxicity, the report says. The same thing haunted her till her last breath. Clint Eastwood 5710 Castle Highway. As U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia at the time, Alexander was closely involved with the investigation. When is Jamb 2023/2024 Starting, Is JAMB Form Out For 2023? She was the real deal when it came to being a dedicated reporter, said attorney and family friend Edward Tolley to AJC. I loved Kathy, but she was crazy.. Her soul was gone. Father Cover Him: Boy Who Sang Like Akon With Sweet Voice Found, Comes Into Fame & Gets Record Deal. That sparked a media frenzy around Jewell that lasted for weeks before he was exonerated, and its now the subject of a new Clint Eastwood movie. Clint Eastwood and the team made the movie entitled Richard Jewell. She really always felt like they were supporting her.. I loved Kathy, but she was crazy.. Paroxetine lower than the lowest calibrator of 0.25 mg/L Whenever something would happen, the police would call Kathy. "She was so, so alive." Scruggs was born Sept. 26, 1958 into a prominent Athens family. She was able to complete her education at home. In the end, the feisty police reporter was a broken person. Kathy never quietly entered a room, she exploded into it.. I did a ton of research, I really embraced her dynamic, multidimensional nuanced personality, Wilde said, adding that she she spoke to her colleagues, her friends, I spoke to the authors of the recent book about the event, (The Suspect), I spoke to (screenwriter) Billy Ray, I spoke to (Vanity Fair reporter) Marie Brenner, I spoke to everybody I could to get a sense of who this woman was.. She stares at nothing with haunted eyes. ", https://web.archive.org/web/20210118151905/https://thecinemaholic.com/who-was-kathy-scruggs-how-did-she-die/, "The sad story of a hero destroyed by others ambitions", https://web.archive.org/web/20201027035222/http://www.leecountycourier.net/about_people/the-sad-story-of-a-hero-destroyed-by-others-ambitions/article_a5ca4648-653c-11ea-a49a-cb7c4702803a.html, "Richard Jewell: Kathy Scruggs Roommate, Family Angered by Journalists Portrayal", https://web.archive.org/web/20210302153029/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/richard-jewell-kathy-scruggs-roommate-journalist-portrayal-1203435902/, "Richard Jewell Controversy: Olivia Wilde Calls Out Double Standard Of Sexism", https://web.archive.org/web/20210125221716/https://deadline.com/2019/12/olivia-wilde-responds-to-richard-jewell-kathy-scruggs-controversy-1202799205/, "Richard Jewell film under fire for depiction of journalist Kathy Scruggs", https://web.archive.org/web/20211008065940/https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/entertainment/kathy-scruggs-richard-jewell-film-trnd/index.html, "Richard Jewell's lawyer agrees the movie smeared Atlanta newspaper reporter", https://web.archive.org/web/20210303233650/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/olivia-wilde-says-she-doesn-t-believe-richard-jewell-journalist-n1101126, "The True Story Behind the Movie Richard Jewell", https://web.archive.org/web/20210125053410/https://time.com/5748926/richard-jewell-movie-true-story/, http://en.wikialpha.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Kathy_Scruggs&oldid=228047, broke the story that the FBI suspected Richard Jewell was a bomber, not a hero. She was prescribed pain-relieving medication for the backache, but she suffered from more complications later in life. Wilde, 35, attended the Gotham Awards . I Cant Believe This Nigerian Mum Finds Unexpected Items inside Childrens School Bags, Shares Video, Pray She Misses Her Period: Is a Baby Coming? Davidos Chioma Spotted Checking Menstrual Cycle Tracking App in Video, Many Ladies, UK Govt Releases List of Companies Approve To Sponsor Skilled Nigerians Ready To Relocate, Five Side Hustles for 9-5 Workers in Nigeria, How to start ecommerce business Steps Guide, CBN Releases Security Features of New Naira Notes as Fake Notes Emerge. Her choice of boyfriends was not great, he said. Paroxetine lower than the lowest calibrator of 0.25 mg/L According to Coram, all the cops loved Kathy and nobody ever said anything negative about her, even in a drunken state. The book does note the time police responded at 3 a.m. when Scruggs refused to get out of a taxi outside a Buckhead hotel. Those who knew Kathy Scruggs, including her friends and family, remember her as a wild child with a rebellious and adventurous streak. The homicide guys met once or twice a week at Manuels, said Coram, who once worked for The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution, formerly separate entities. However, it has come under fire for its portrayal of Kathy Scruggs. Theirfather,Lewis Bubber Scruggs Sr., was a World War II veteran who co-founded the Athens Insurers Inc. She came into the news after she broke the story that the FBI was investigating security guard Richard Jewell as a possible suspect in the bomb case. Also, she was arrested twice in Buckhead on charges involving intoxication. However, after her death, the Journal-Constitution was exonerated of any wrongdoing because the articles in their whole were substantially truthful at the time of publication. She would be an easy person to caricature, he said. Our Kathy Scruggs wiki tells the story of this headstrong reporter who pursued a story against all odds. CBSs miniseries Manhunt: Deadly Games is the action-packed follow-up to its predecessor Manhunt: Unabomber. Kathy Scruggs was a colorful personality regarded as an intrepid police reporter in Atlanta, Georgia before controversy hit. While the biopic hails Jewell as the hero he is, Scruggs is shown in a poor light, which some journalists are not happy about. Her parents called a friend to check on her welfare. She, on the other hand, accused her of offering her sex in exchange for confidential information about the collapse of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
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