Medical Examiner Rules Bob Saget's Death an 'Accident': 'Likely Incurred from an Unwitnessed Fall'

"The death of Mr. Saget was the result of blunt head trauma," the medical examiner said

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Published on February 10, 2022 11:45 AM

A Florida medical examiner confirmed the cause of Bob Saget's death.

Saget suddenly died on Jan. 9 at age 65. He was found in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, one day after he performed a stand-up show near Jacksonville. He was laid to rest in Los Angeles five days later.

Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, MD said in a toxicology analysis released on Thursday that the Full House star's death was "the result of blunt head trauma."

"An autopsy was performed on Robert Lane Saget, a 65-year-old male. Mr. Saget was found unresponsive in his hotel room, on January 10, 2022. All testing and further studies have been completed," Stephany stated.

"In consideration of the circumstances surrounding the death and after examination of the body, toxicology analysis, histology, and a respiratory pathogen panel, it is my opinion that the death of Mr. Saget, was the result of blunt head trauma. His injuries were most likely incurred from an unwitnessed fall," Stephany continued. "A toxicology analysis did not reveal any illicit drugs or toxins. The manner of death is accident."

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Concluding the statement, Stephany added: "Our condolences go out to Mr. Saget's loved ones during this difficult time."

Saget's autopsy has not been released by the department at this time.

"The case is still open," the Orange County Sherriff's Department told PEOPLE about the investigation into Saget's death.

Saget's family first announced his cause of death on Wednesday, saying "authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma" and that "he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep."

The comedian is survived by wife Kelly Rizzo and his three daughters — Aubrey, 34, Lara, 32, and Jennifer, 29 — whom he shared with ex-wife Sherri Kramer.

"Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities' investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us," the Saget family said. "As we continue to mourn together, we ask everyone to remember the love and laughter that Bob brought to this world, and the lessons he taught us all: to be kind to everyone, to let the people you love know you love them, and to face difficult times with hugs and laughter."

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On Wednesday, which marked one month after Saget's passing, Rizzo posted a video on Instagram featuring highlights from their relationship.

"Bob truly lived life to its fullest. He had so many hardships over the years that he would always tell me 'look, life is hard, we need to enjoy it as much as possible.' And one of the best ways we did that together was sharing and exploring amazing food around the world," the Eat Travel Rock blogger captioned the video, which was set to Jackson Browne's "Fountain of Sorrow."

"We were in our happy place together whenever we were out at a restaurant, hotel lobby bar, or even our own kitchen when I would try out a new creation on him," Rizzo continued. "He was never shy about ordering, and he would even tell you to get everything on the menu that you wanted because he also wanted to see you enjoy everything to the fullest. Experiencing simple pleasures in life like that brought him so much joy. I can't even put into words how much I will miss this."