Access Hollywood Wrong? Corey Haim Funeral NOT City Funded

"The city of Toronto has come to the aid of Corey Haim's family, Corey's mother, Judy Haim, told Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos on Saturday."

So said an Access Hollywood article published on March 13, 2010. This claim apparently led to a number of subsequent stories in mainstream media, discussing the possibility that Judy Haim had obtained assistance from the city to pay for the funeral.

On March 15, both the City of Toronto and the Haim family spoke out to say this report is false.

The City of Toronto generally makes it a practice not to reveal the existence or status of applications for financial assistance with funeral costs. But after multiple reports in both Canada and the United States that taxpayers were footing the bill for the former teen star's funeral, city officials thought it best to make a public statement.

Kevin Sack, the director of communication for the city, would not make a statement over the weekend. He has now denied the existence of any application for funeral expense assistance, in an article published by the Toronto Star within the hour.

A spokesperson for the Haim family has also "vehemently denied the claim" of city assistance, in an interview with Toronto news radio station, 680 News.

Steeles Memorial Chapel, the Toronto funeral home taking care of the arrangements for the private family service to be held tomorrow, is apparently covering some of the costs. While this may come as a surprise to anyone who has had to make funeral arrangements for a loved one, this Jewish memorial chapel seems to pride themselves on helping those clients who are in need. They would not, however, confirm whether their assistance normally extends to covering part of the funeral costs.

"We help families with all of their problems when they lose a family member," said employee John Fuchs, who was unable to supply more specific details about arrangements for the Haim funeral. These sentiments were echoed by the chapel's director, Marla Stewart. "That's what we do, we're known for that." She added, "I don't know where the press got the notion that the city would be paying for his funeral, that's absolutely not true."

It would appear that, in addition to donations made by fans, funds have also been raised by auctioning Corey Haim memorabilia online with the help of fellow actor Scott Schwartz. As of today, there are no longer any Corey Haim items on the actor's eBay listings page.

Cause of Death Pulmonary Congestion

Corey Haim died of pulmonary congestion, or pulmonary edema, a condition in which fluids build up inside the lungs. The fluid leaves less room in the lungs for oxygen, and causes shortness of breath. Untreated, it can cause death.

Haim had a history of substance abuse, but had been making attempts to get his life back together. Friends who had seen him in the month before his death, including Schwartz, claim he was looking well and seemed much like the person he was before his struggles with drugs began.

Links to Abuse of Prescription Drugs

Stories are circulating about prescription drugs that Corey Haim had procured before his death. "We know that Corey Haim used a lot of legal drugs," said California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who could not specify what drugs were found in the Burbank, CA apartment where Haim died. Brown said Haim "shopped a lot of doctors and went to a lot of pharmacies and, at least in one instance, got OxyContin from an illegal syndicate."

While overuse of drugs is one factor that can contribute to pulmonary edema, it is too soon to know for sure whether this is what cause Haim's death. Primary autopsy results are in, but the family has been told there will be a wait of up to eight weeks for toxicology and other tests to be performed.

Sources:

"City not paying for Corey Haim's funeral" (Toronto Star)

"Corey Haim died from pulmonary congestion, says mother. What is pulmonary congestion?" Amanda Strosahl (Examiner)

"Corey Haim: Where Did His Prescriptions Come From?"Lisa Fletcher and Sarah Netter (ABC News)

"Haim Mom: City Of Toronto Covering Corey's Funeral; Memorabilia Site Says They'll Pitch In" Access Hollywood

"T.O. confirms it is not paying for Haim's funeral" CTV News

"Toronto funeral home says it is helping Haim family cope with memorial costs" Canadian Press