Dana Plato died on May 8, 1999, from a lethal overdose of prescription medications, and her death was officially ruled a suicide.

What happened

  • Dana Plato was 34 years old when she died on May 8, 1999, in Moore, Oklahoma, while visiting her fiancé’s family.
  • She had taken prescription drugs including painkillers (such as hydrocodone/acetaminophen, often known by brand names like Lortab) and the muscle relaxant carisoprodol (Soma).
  • She went to lie down in a motor home parked outside the house and was later found dead in her sleep.

Cause and ruling

  • Early reports described her death as a possible accidental overdose.
  • Toxicology studies later showed fatal concentrations of carisoprodol and hydrocodone/acetaminophen in her system, with about the equivalent of seven carisoprodol tablets still in her stomach.
  • Because of the high drug levels and her documented history of prior suicidal gestures and substance abuse, the Oklahoma medical examiner reclassified the manner of death as suicide.
  • No suicide note was found.

Disputed views

  • Some friends and colleagues, including her Diff’rent Strokes co‑star Todd Bridges, have publicly questioned the suicide ruling and suggested it may have been an accidental overdose taken to help her sleep.
  • Despite those doubts, the official, legal finding remains that Dana Plato died by suicide due to an intentional overdose of prescription medications.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.