Demi Lovato “could have died” from her apparent overdose, sources close to the pop star told TMZ.
The 25-year-old “Skyscraper” singer was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after suffering from an alleged overdose. Sources close to the situation said the singer’s life was hanging in the balance when the 911 call was placed.
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“She could have died,” a source told TMZ, adding that Lovato was “unconscious” in her bedroom when she was discovered by an unidentified assistant at around 11:30 a.m. PT, the emergency call being placed shortly after.
Audio of the call obtained from the publication revealed that Lovato’s assistant requested that the dispatcher tell paramedics to turn off the sirens, possibly in an attempt to minimize the chances of the emergency being made public. The dispatcher refused.
“No no, this is a medical emergency. I don’t have control over that,” the dispatcher says in the 911 audio released Thursday. “This is definitely a medical emergency and we need to get there as fast as possible.”
Lovato was reportedly still unconscious when paramedics arrived at the scene and had to be administered Narcan, an emergency medication that reverses the effects of a narcotic overdose. However, once conscious, she allegedly refused to tell emergency responders what she had taken, though sources have claimed that she did not use heroin. Lovato is now recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she is “awake and with family.”
“She is doing OK, but is still being monitored. … An overdose is something very serious and can cause organ failure. It’s important for her to make sure her body is recovering,” a source said. “Sometimes this situation is the best possible. And most people using drugs are very confident they will never overdose. It’s easy to continue abusing when you can shrug your shoulders and tell yourself you have everything under control.”
The singer’s reported overdose came just weeks after she revealed that she had relapsed after six years of sobriety, and it is believed that Lovato’s family is now intending to get her back into rehab once she is released from the hospital.
The 25-year-old, who has been open about her struggles with bipolar disorder, bulimia, self-harm, and addiction, had entered rehab in 2010 following a physical altercation with a backup dancer while on tour with the Jonas Brother. After she relapsed following her release, she entered a sober living facility, where she remained for several months.
Two of Lovato’s scheduled concerts were canceled following her hospitalization — New Jersey (July 26) and Toronto (July 29).
