The daughter of Jets owner Woody Johnson and Tila Tequila's reported fiancé Casey Johnson has passed away at the age of 30, according to a Twitter announcement on Tequila's official page later confirmed by Los Angeles police.
"Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away," Tequila wrote on her Twitter page Monday evening.
As the heiress to the massive Johnson & Johnson fortune, Johnson reportedly struggled with the trappings of wealth and her inner demons.
Johnson's family had recently cut her off from her trust fund in an act of "tough love" after a stint of failed alcohol rehab programs, the New York Daily News reported. The young socialite had appeared to be trying to reclaim her life a few years ago, talking about a new skin care line she founded called Journey and the adoption of her daughter, Ava, from Kazakhstan in early 2007.
But her life continued to spiral out of control, and her mother, Sale, took custody of Ava in order to protect her. Casey Johnson had recently returned to New York to fight for her daughter, but her ability to file legal challenges was hindered by her lack of money.
Johnson's body was discovered in Los Angeles Monday morning, police told People magazine. A neighbor told E! News that Johnson's maid discovered the body and ran out of the heiress' home screaming "She's dead!"
Hours earlier, on the East Coast, Casey's father, Woody, celebrated an unlikely playoff berth for his New York Jets as they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 37-0 to end the 2009 regular season and conclude their reign at the Meadowlands before the new stadium opens next year.
Woody Johnson's excitement over the win quickly turned to devastation upon learning of the death of his eldest daughter -- a triumphant football team owner morphed into a distraught father in a matter of hours.
"The Johnson family is mourning its tragic loss and asks for privacy during this very difficult time," a family spokesman told the News.
Family friend, Suzanne Webster, told the paper Casey was "a sweet but troubled girl."
In November, she was arrested for grand theft after allegedly breaking into ex-girlfriend, fashion model Jasmine Lennard's Hollywood apartment.
Casey's parents had tried to support her as best they knew how, but it had grown too difficult, and they were keeping their distance as of late in an effort to show the 30-year-old party girl some tough love, reports the News. They knew something was gravely wrong, but were at a loss for how to help.
"Her family was concerned over her well-being the past year," Webster told the News. "She had given them pause with her behavior, but I don't think anyone expected this."
Los Angeles police officer Sara Faden said the death appeared to be "natural" and that there was "no evidence of foul play." A toxicology report from the coroner's office will soon be processed, Faden said.
A socialite from Manhattan's Upper East Side, Johnson counted fellow heiress Paris Hilton as among her friends.
"I've known Casey since I was a baby," Hilton told Life & Style magazine. "She had a big heart and she was a good friend. I feel so sad, I don't want to believe it. My condolences go out to her family and loved ones."
Casey had recently found love.
In December, socialite and TV personality Tila Tequila announced her engagement to Johnson on her Twitter page and in Internet videos.
The bisexual Tequila, whose relationship battles were chronicled on the MTV reality show "Tila Tequila's Shot at Love" and the sequel, appeared to have initially thought Johnson was in a coma, according to the starlet's Twitter page.
After initially posting that Johnson had passed away, Tequila quickly followed with a second post: "I just got news that my fiance is not dead but currently in a coma! Omg please pray that she will make it! Hang in there my love please!"
Tequila continued to tweet prayers to Johnson, begging her "dot (sic) let go!"
"I'm almost home baby please hang on! We have a beautiful life planned out for us! I LOVE u! Hang on!" she wrote two hours after her first post.
Her latest tweet was around 10 p.m. Monday evening:
"R.I.P. my Angel. U will forever be in my heart. I love u so much and we will Marry when I see U in Heaven my Wifey," she wrote.
Johnson's own Twitter page was last updated Dec. 29, the same day Tequila told TMZ she lost contact with Johnson after a fight. Johnson's phone had been turned off since the 29th, Tequila said.
