LOS ANGELES (AP)— Herbalife International Inc. founder Mark Hughes died of an accidental toxic combination of alcohol and anti-depressants, a coroner ruled Friday.
Hughes, who was inspired to form the company after his mother's accidental death from an overdose of prescription diet pills, was found dead May 21 in his Malibu home.
There were no signs of foul play or trauma, and an autopsy performed two days later was inconclusive. Toxicology tests led to the final findings, said Scott Carrier, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner.
Carrier said Hughes' use of the medication apparently involved sleeping problems.
The company said in a statement that Hughes was at a birthday celebration for his grandmother earlier in the day and consumed alcohol.
"He had also suffered from sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that caused him to occasionally take sleeping medication, which he apparently had taken on the night he died," said the statement.
Hughes, who died at age 44, had a blood-alcohol level of .21 percent and a moderate amount of the anti-depressant Sinequan in his system, Carrier said. A California driver is legally drunk with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent.
The amount of Sinequan in Hughes' system was normal and alone would not have killed him, Carrier said. Taken in combination with alcohol, Sinequan can cause excessive sedation and death, he said.
Herbalife International, which Hughes founded in 1980 at age of 24, sells weight management, personal care and nutritional products in 48 countries. The company claims yearly sales of $1.7 billion.