Heather O’rourke’s Biography, Net Worth, Fact, Career, Awards and Life Story
O’Rourke became ill in early 1987 and was misdiagnosed by doctors at Kaiser Permanente Hospital as having Crohn’s disease. She was prescribed prednisone to treat the disease, which caused her cheeks to appear puffy and large. On January 31, 1988, O’Rourke suddenly became ill again, vomiting and unable to keep anything in her stomach. The next morning, she collapsed while preparing to leave for the hospital and her stepfather called paramedics. O’Rourke suffered a cardiac arrest en route to the hospital, and after resuscitation, she was airlifted by helicopter to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, where she died later that day.
Speaking to reporters, O’Rourke’s manager David Wardlow initially announced that it was believed she died of influenza. However, hospital spokesman Vincent Bond announced that O’Rourke died during surgery to repair an acute bowel obstruction (caused by congenital stenosis of the intestine) complicated by septic shock; this report was corroborated by the San Diego County coroner’s office on February 3, two days after her death. Later reports changed the specific cause of death to cardiac arrest caused by septic shock brought on by the intestinal stenosis.
O’Rourke was interred at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery on February 5, 1988.
Lawsuit
On May 25, 1988, Sanford M. Gage, the O’Rourke family attorney, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Diego. O’Rourke had been seen by doctors at Kaiser since birth, and the suit claimed that they failed to properly diagnose her long-standing small-bowel obstruction: had they not simply treated her for Crohn’s disease with prescription drugs, she could have had a period of remission by means of a major bowel surgery; and this misdiagnosis caused O’Rourke’s death. Kaiser Permanente spokeswoman Janice Seib responded: “We have reviewed the case extensively, and we believe that the diagnosis and the course of action taken by our physicians was entirely appropriate. It’s a very complex case, complicated by a number of factors, and not given to any simple answers.” The case went to arbitration and was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum.
Aftermath
O’Rourke’s death complicated Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s marketing for her last work, Poltergeist III, out of fear of appearing to be exploiting her death. Tom Skerritt and Nancy Allen, O’Rourke’s co-stars, were discouraged from giving interviews about the film to avoid questions about her death. O’Rourke died four months before the theatrical release of Poltergeist III, which was dedicated to her memory.
On September 26, 2008, DirecTV began airing a national TV advertisement developed by Deutsch Inc.; directed by Erich Joiner and cinematographed by Daniel Mindel, the advert features O’Rourke’s famous “They’re here!” scene from Poltergeist blended with contemporary footage of her co-star, Craig T. Nelson, intended to mimic the film. After the advertisement drew criticism from bloggers and columnists for exploiting O’Rourke, DirecTV responded in a Q&A session with readers of The New York Times. Jon Gieselman, DirecTV’s senior vice president for advertising and public relations, explained that O’Rourke’s family “was involved in the spot from start to finish [and that] Heather’s mother not only approved, […] she also commented that Heather’s inclusion was a wonderful tribute to her daughter.”
