Former Playboy Playmate Ashley Mattingly struggled with substance abuse before her death.
Mattingly was found dead in her Texas home earlier this week, according to a report published by Fox News. While the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office claimed the cause of death would not be confirmed for 30-90 days, Mattingly’s sister, Christy Deweese, said the family was told she died by apparent suicide.
Deweese claimed the former playmate’s addiction “still got the best of her” despite Mattingly’s attempts to get her life “back in order.”
“[Addiction] can happen to anyone and it takes a really strong person to overcome it. She was obviously a very strong person and it still got the best of her,” Deweese said.
She was always the life of the party, happy, outgoing, when she’s in a good place,” she added. “She definitely had a substance abuse issue but there are times she’s been to rehab. She always wanted to get herself on the right track. She’s very ambitious.” (RELATED: Former Playboy Playmate Ashley Mattingly Dead At 33. Here’s What We Know)
The family was unaware that Mattingly was dealing with issues before her death.
“I know she didn’t reach out to close family before this happened and my opinion is she thinks we would know and we would act on it,” Deweese said.
“Sometimes the signs are there but you don’t know it. A lot of times there’s nothing you can do because there’s so many scenarios that could happen,” she continued.