Patton Oswalt Reveals Tragic Cause of His Wife"s Death

On April 21st, 2016, Michelle McNamara, crime writer and wife of Patton Oswalt, passed away in her sleep.

It was an absolutely tragic event, obviously, made worse by the face that Michelle and Patton had a seven-year-old daughter, and also because Patton has been so painfully and beautifully honest about it.

At the time, no cause of death was given, but Patton’s publicist did say that her passing was “a complete shock to her family and friends, who loved her dearly.”

A few months later in October, we still hadn’t heard what caused Michelle’s death, but Patton did say that “I have a feeling it might have been an overdose.”

At least, he added, “That’s what the paramedics there were saying while I was screaming and throwing up.”

But now, nearly a year later, we’re finally hearing what actually happening.

And, sad though it is, he was right. Partially, anyway.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Patton revealed that “We learned today the combination of drugs in Michelle’s system, along with a condition we were unaware of, proved lethal.”

The condition was an undiagnosed heart problem that “caused blockages in her arteries.”

The drugs that were found in her system were Adderall, Xanax, and Fentanyl, an opioid used to treat especially severe pain.

There was no reason given for why Michelle was on Fentanyl, a drug that’s known to be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.

Oddly enough, the coroner told the AP that her cause of death is still officially listed as pending.

We can only hope that this knowledge provides a little bit of closure for Patton, who once said of Michelle’s death that “She hasn’t left a void. She’s left a blast crater.”

Of his grief, he’s written that “Depression is the tallest kid in the 4th grade, dinging rubber bands off the back of your bead and feeling safe on the playground, knowing that no teacher is coming to help you.”

“But grief? Grief is Jason Statham holding that 4th grade bully’s head in a toilet and then f-cking the teacher you’ve got a crush on in front of the class.”

“Grief,” he added, “makes depression cower behind you and apologize for being such a dick.”

About raising their daughter by himself, he wrote. “I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it.”

“I want to turn out the world and hide under the covers and never leave my house again and send our daughter, Alice, off to lie with her cousins in Chicago, because they won’t screw her up the way I know I will.”

But he also wrote “I’m moving forward — clumsily, stupidly, blindly — because of the kind of person Alice is.”

“She’s got so much of Michelle in her. And Michelle was living her life moving forward. And she took me forward with her. Just like I know Alice will. So I’m going to keep moving forward.”

So here’s hoping that, even now, Patton is still able to move forward.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten

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Robin Thicke Accused of Beating Paula Patton, Abusing Son

It’s been quite a tumultuous year for Robin Thicke.

First, the singer lost a lawsuit filed by Marvin Gaye’s family over the rights to “Blurred Lines” (aka Thicke’s only chart-topper).

Last month, the singer’s father, Alan Thicke, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 69.

Now, we’re learning that Thicke might not be the innocuous one-hit wonder we all thought he was.

Stunning allegations have emerged from Thicke’s ongoing custody battle with ex-wife Paula Patton, and it sounds as though the formerly beloved singer frequently displayed monstrously abusive tendencies during his marriage.

In court documents obtained by TMZ, Patton claims that Thicke became physically abusive with her on multiple occasions.

“She and Robin got into a fight and Robin hit her with a closed fist to her upper body and then pushed her onto the ground,” one document reads.

Patton adds that Thicke “threatened multiple times to ‘bash my f–king head in.’”

She claims that Thicke’s erratic and often violent behavior is exacerbated by his addiction issues, and that he uses cocaine on a regular basis.

Equally shocking are the allegations about Thicke’s mistreatment of his 6-year-old son, Julian.

TMZ is reporting that Patton has been granted sole legal custody of the boy following an incident in which he allegedly said that he was afraid of his father as a result of frequent physical abuse.

Patton claims that she once witnessed an incident in which Julian asked his father for a hug before bedtime, and Thicke responded by spanking him.

Patton has reportedly been granted a temporary restraining order against Thicke.

Thicke’s attorneys are fighting back claiming that Patton is using their son as a pawn, and that she’s being investigated by DCFS following allegations of “emotional abuse.”

“If these multi-year-old allegations were true, why is she only raising them now in the midst of a custody dispute where she’s the only one violating the judge by denying Robin access to the boy?” Thicke’s attorney said in a statement issued today.

In court documents, Patton also claims she has evidence that Thicke was unfaithful to her on numerous occasions.

She says she heard him having sex with another woman over the phone while he was on tour in 2013.

Thicke and Patton divorced in 2014 amidst cheating allegations.

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Paula Patton Claims Robin Thicke Physically Abused Her

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Robin Thicke is not allowed to go near his child or his ex-wife … this after a judge just temporarily yanked custody away from  him, but now Robin’s lawyer claims his wife is being investigated by the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family…

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Robin Thicke brought the cops to Paula Patton’s home Friday morning because she allegedly violated their custody order by not allowing him to take their son … but the video dramatically shows Robin walked away empty-handed. TMZ broke the story…

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Paula Patton Accuses Robin Thicke of Child Abuse

Things have turned very ugly between Paula Patton and Robin Thicke.

The actress and the singer, who split way back in 2014, are still entangled in a legal mess as they battle over custody of their six-year old son, Julian.

On Thursday in Los Angeles, a judge denied Patton‘s request to limit Thicke’s access to Julian after she accused him of physical abuse.

Whoa there. Yikes.

“The judge denied all of Paula’s requests for custody,” an insider close to the matter tells People Magazine, adding:

“She wanted more custody because of her allegations of physical abuse, which are untrue and unfounded.”

Neither Thicke nor Patton have commented on this contentious issue or allegation.

But People has obtained legal documents in which Patton asserts she’s “become concerned about [Robin]’s drinking and drug use, as well as the forms of punishment he is using to discipline Julian” over the past year.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Thicke’s drinking and/or drug use.

The artist himself has admitted to a dependence on alcohol and pain pills in the past.

But he’s never said anything about laying hands on his young child in any kind of inappropriate fashion, of course.

Patton goes on to say that the six-year old actually showed her how Thicke spanked him, telling his mother that the experience “was worse than” a basic “ow,” after she made the latter noise.

According to the ongoing custody agreement, Thicke is permitted overnight visits with Julian every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The pair’s divorce was officially granted last March after a year-long separation.

The separation was initiated by Patton, but was almost taken as a joke at first by Thicke and the public.

He even performed a song at the 2014 BET Awards that was clearly meant to win Patton over.

“I’d like to dedicate this song to my wife, and say, ‘I miss you, and I’m sorry.’ This is called Forever Love,” Thicke said on stage at that event.

Alas, the reconciliation effort did not succeed.

Fast forward more than two years, and the issue at stake is no longer this romance; but the stars’ ability to co-parent in an amicable manner.

In his declaration, Thicke claims Paula “holds residual anger” towards him because he and his loved ones “would not permit her or her family” to attend the funeral of his late father, Alan Thicke.

Robin has told the court he thinks Patton only wanted to attend the ceremony in order to increase her “public exposure.”

Thicke does admit to the “very rare” use of “light spanking” as a “last resort” for punishment, yet insists he has “never exceeded age-appropriate discipline.”

However, Patton cites Julian’s teachers in her court filing, saying the child informed them he was “scared” of his dad as a result of the alleged spanking.

Patton alleges that Julian’s “behavior has become very concerning,” and that the child has “become very tense,” disappears into “what appears to be a trance” and has developed a “slight stutter.”

The infant’s school principal told Thicke that he filed a report with the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services after Julian made his accusations against the singer in class.

But this department has referred to its privacy policy in refusing to say anything about any kind of investigation.

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Patton Oswalt Continues to Grieve Wife"s Death: Read His Message

Patton Oswalt remains in mourning.

Over four months have gone by since the comedian lost his wife in shocking, tragic fashion, as Michelle McNamara died in her sleep on April 21.

But that’s not nearly enough time for one to move on from the love of one’s life.

After bidding McNamara an emotional goodbye soon after her passing, Oswalt has once again taken to Facebook in order to express his grief.

“Depression is the tallest kid in the 4th grade, dinging rubber bands off the back of your head and feeling safe on the playground, knowing that no teacher is coming to help you,” he wrote.

“But grief? Grief is Jason Statham holding that 4th grade bully’s head in a toilet and then f-cking the teacher you’ve got a crush on in front of the class.”

That’s a unique way to put it.

But it does actually make a lot of sense.

“Grief makes depression cower behind you and apologize for being such a dick,” he added.

Oswalt shared this heartbreaking point of view 102 days after McNamara died.

He went on to reference that number.

“102 days at the mercy of grief and loss feels like 102 years and you have sh-t to show for it. You will not be physically healthier. You will not feel ‘wiser.’ You will not have ‘closure.’ You will not have ‘perspective’ or ‘resilience’ or ‘a new sense of self.’

“You WILL have solid knowledge of fear, exhaustion and a new appreciation for the randomness and horror of the universe.

“And you’ll also realize that 102 days is nothing but a warm-up for things to come.”

Oswalt and McNamara were married in 2005.

The two share a seven-year-old daughter, Alice.

“I was face-down and frozen for weeks,” Oswalt wrote of how he felt when he first lost his wife.

“It’s 102 days later and I can confidently say I have reached a point where I’m crawling. Which, objectively, is an improvement. Maybe 102 days later I’ll be walking.”

Despite the pain, Oswalt says he has been shown “new levels of humanity and grace and intelligence” by his family, friends and also by his fans.

“They will show up for you, physically and emotionally, in ways in which make you take careful note and say to yourself, ‘Make sure to try to do that for someone else someday,"” he wrote.

“Complete strangers will send you genuinely touching messages on Facebook and Twitter, or will somehow figure out your address to send you letters which you’ll keep and re-read ’cause you can’t believe how helpful they are.”

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten

Prior to her passing, McNamara was working on a book about a serial killer she dubbed The Golden State Killer.

Oswalt says it will be released at some point and is “amazing.”

The beloved actor also promised his fans he is going to get back into comedy, acting and writing.

At some point.

“I like and working with friends on projects and do all the stuff I was always so privileged to get to do before the air caught fire around me and the sun died,” he said.

“It’s all I knew how to do before I met Michelle. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do now without her.”

Patton Oswalt Continues to Grieve Wife"s Death: Read His Message

Patton Oswalt remains in mourning.

Over four months have gone by since the comedian lost his wife in shocking, tragic fashion, as Michelle McNamara died in her sleep on April 21.

But that’s not nearly enough time for one to move on from the love of one’s life.

After bidding McNamara an emotional goodbye soon after her passing, Oswalt has once again taken to Facebook in order to express his grief.

“Depression is the tallest kid in the 4th grade, dinging rubber bands off the back of your head and feeling safe on the playground, knowing that no teacher is coming to help you,” he wrote.

“But grief? Grief is Jason Statham holding that 4th grade bully’s head in a toilet and then f-cking the teacher you’ve got a crush on in front of the class.”

That’s a unique way to put it.

But it does actually make a lot of sense.

“Grief makes depression cower behind you and apologize for being such a dick,” he added.

Oswalt shared this heartbreaking point of view 102 days after McNamara died.

He went on to reference that number.

“102 days at the mercy of grief and loss feels like 102 years and you have sh-t to show for it. You will not be physically healthier. You will not feel ‘wiser.’ You will not have ‘closure.’ You will not have ‘perspective’ or ‘resilience’ or ‘a new sense of self.’

“You WILL have solid knowledge of fear, exhaustion and a new appreciation for the randomness and horror of the universe.

“And you’ll also realize that 102 days is nothing but a warm-up for things to come.”

Oswalt and McNamara were married in 2005.

The two share a seven-year-old daughter, Alice.

“I was face-down and frozen for weeks,” Oswalt wrote of how he felt when he first lost his wife.

“It’s 102 days later and I can confidently say I have reached a point where I’m crawling. Which, objectively, is an improvement. Maybe 102 days later I’ll be walking.”

Despite the pain, Oswalt says he has been shown “new levels of humanity and grace and intelligence” by his family, friends and also by his fans.

“They will show up for you, physically and emotionally, in ways in which make you take careful note and say to yourself, ‘Make sure to try to do that for someone else someday,"” he wrote.

“Complete strangers will send you genuinely touching messages on Facebook and Twitter, or will somehow figure out your address to send you letters which you’ll keep and re-read ’cause you can’t believe how helpful they are.”

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten

Prior to her passing, McNamara was working on a book about a serial killer she dubbed The Golden State Killer.

Oswalt says it will be released at some point and is “amazing.”

The beloved actor also promised his fans he is going to get back into comedy, acting and writing.

At some point.

“I like and working with friends on projects and do all the stuff I was always so privileged to get to do before the air caught fire around me and the sun died,” he said.

“It’s all I knew how to do before I met Michelle. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do now without her.”

Patton Oswalt Remembers Michelle McNamara in Moving Essay

Ever since his wife, Michelle McNamara, died in her sleep at the age of 46 last month, Patton Oswalt has been uncharacteristically quiet.

The beloved comedian and actor tweeted a loving tribute to McNamara one week after her death, writing:

“She wrote lines that stung & hummed. 13 years in her presence was happily humbling. #RIPMichelleMcNamara.”

He included a link to make donations to in McNamara’s honor to 826LA, an organization that assists students with their writing skills.

Fans of Oswalt’s know that he and his McNamara – a writer who operated the website True Crime Diary – shared a common love of words.

The comic is as well-known for his eloquence as for his cunning wit, so it was no surprise when he paid more long-form tribute to his beloved wife of 11 years in a way that honored both her work and her devotion to her husband and daughter.

He accomplished that today, in an essay for Time magazine that is both moving and full of surprising revelations about a life well-lived:

After recounting her tireless work for the website that made hers a familiar name in certain online circles, Oswalt recalls McNamara’s earlier days and lesser-known achievements:

“Those are facts but not her entire story,” he writes.

“Her life also involved social work in Belfast and Oakland, and screenwriting in Los Angeles, and teaching creative writing at Minnesota State, and motherhood and marriage and glorious, lost years on the outskirts of the early 90s Chicago music scene, where she also worked for a young Michelle Obama.

“One day Michelle Obama’s husband came into the office to speak to the staff. He was impressive and funny. Another encounter, another memory in a life spent fascinated with people and relationships and the unknown.

“The reaction to her passing, the people who are shocked at her senseless absence, is a testament to how she steered her life with joyous, wicked curiosity. Cops and comedians call—speechless or sending curt regards.

“Her family is devastated but can’t help remember all of the times she made them laugh or comforted them, and they smile and laugh themselves. She hasn’t left a void. She’s left a blast crater.”

You can read Oswalt’s entire tribute to McNamara at Time magazine’s website now.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten

Patton Oswalt Bids Emotional Farewell to Michelle McNamara

Patton Oswalt has released his first public statement since the sudden, tragic and unexpected death of his wife.

On April 21, Michelle McNamara died in her sleep at the age of 46.

A countless number of celebrities responded to the death by sending their condolences to Oswalt via various forms of social media.

And now the comedian/actor has gone ahead and done the same, in beautiful fashion.

“She wrote lines that stung & hummed. 13 years in her presence was happily humbling. #RIPMichelleMcNamara,” Oswalt Tweeted on Friday, including with his message a link to make a donation in McNamara’s honor to 826LA.

That’s organization which assists students with their writing skills.

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten

McNamara, who was mostly worked as a crime writer, married Oswalt in 2005.

The pair were parents to a seven-year-old daughter named Alice.

No cause of death has been given,for this tragedy, although Oswalt’s publicist said last week that her passing was “a complete shock to her family and friends, who loved her dearly.”

An official at the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office told People Magazine it would most likely take several months to determine a cause of death because the office has a backlog of cases.

While it’s understandable that people would be curious for an answer, of course, nothing changes the terrible fact that Oswalt is now without a wife and Alice is without a mother.

McNamara founded the website True Crime Diary.

She also wrote and recorded podcasts about true crime, while appearing on the Investigation Discovery series A Crime to Remember.

She once said she was mostly intrigued by cases that weren’t necessarily garnering major headlines, and also that she started her website at Oswalt’s behest.

At the time of her passing, McNamara was working on a book about a serial killer she dubbed The Golden State Killer, whom she wrote a series of pieces about in Los Angeles Magazine.

We send along our thoughts and prayers to Oswalt and his family.

Michelle McNamara Dies; Wife of Patton Oswalt Was 46

Michelle McNamara, the writer and founder of website True Crime Diary and the wife of Patton Oswalt, tragically passed away in her sleep at home in Los Angeles on Thursday.

She was 46.

A rep for the actor and comedian has confirmed this news to The Associated Press.

No cause of death has been given at this time.

Oswalt and McNamara got married in 2005 and welcomed a daughter named Alice in 2009.

She turned seven years old earlier this month.

McNamara was best known professionally for writing about true crime.

She was a graduate of both the University of Notre Dame (for undergrad) and University of Minnesota, where she earned a Master’s in Creative Writing).

In 2007, she started a blog titled True Crime Diary in which she wrote about old and new unsolved cases.

She told Suicide Girls at the time that the idea for this blog came from Oswalt and that “I wanted to get more involved in the cases than fueling my own curiosity.’

View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Passed Away in 2016: Gone, But Not Forgotten

In the wake of this awful news, a number of celebrities have taken to Twitter to express sympathy.

“My heart goes to the Oswalt family,” wrote Elijah Wood, while Kevin Smith added:

“Oh my God, @pattonoswalt – my heart breaks for you & your family’s devastating loss. If you need any help, I’m here.”

Margaret Cho tweeted, “I LOVE YOU – I am here for you always @pattonoswalt xo” and Billy Eichner shared a similar sentiment:

“I love you @pattonoswalt. We all do.” 

Oswalt has yet to publicly address her death.

The comedian last tweeted about Prince’s passing, which also happened on April 21.

We send our prayers and thoughts to McNamara’s family, friends and loved ones.