Broadcaster Gerry Ryan died of heart failure after using cocaine

RTÉ BROADCASTER Gerry Ryan was under enormous personal, financial and professional stress just before his death from heart failure after using cocaine, the Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.

Returning a verdict of death by misadventure, coroner Dr Brian Farrell said Ryan (53) had chronic damage to his heart which meant death “could have occurred at any time” from a cardiac arrhythmia, an electrical disturbance in the heart. He had used cocaine and it was known the drug caused such disturbances, Dr Farrell found.

“This is a sudden unexpected death in the presence of a significantly damaged heart with recent cocaine use as a significant risk factor,” he said.

Ryan died on Friday, April 30th, at his home on Upper Leeson Street, Dublin. His body was discovered by his partner Melanie Verwoerd.

In the days before his death, he had confided his stress to broadcaster Marian Finucane, friend David Kavanagh, his GP Dr Tony Crosby and Ms Verwoerd, the inquest heard.

In emotional evidence, Ms Verwoerd said Ryan barely slept in the two weeks before he died. He complained of heart palpitations, dizziness and breathlessness. He also had stomach pains and vomiting.

When he received texts or “aggressive” phone calls he would “go grey”, Ms Verwoerd said.

She had asked Ryan not to go to work on the Monday before he died, but there had been a change in policy in relation to sick leave in RTÉ and he felt if he took the time off it would “send the wrong message”.

Asked by the coroner if cocaine was ever an issue she responded “absolutely not”. One of the “unnegotiable” rules of their relationship had been there would be no drugs.

When Dr Eamon Leen, the pathologist who gave post mortem evidence described to the court how evidence of cocaine was found in Ryan’s blood and urine, Ms Verwoerd was visibly upset.

In a statement after the inquest, she said the autopsy and toxicology report “came as a huge shock . . . Gerry knew how strongly I felt against drugs and had made a promise at the beginning of our relationship that he would not use any drugs,” she said.

Mr Ryan’s widow, Morah took the stand briefly at the inquest to outline how she had formally identified her husband at the city morgue on May 1st, the day after his death.

In a statement after the inquest Ms Ryan said she and her family were glad the inquest was over.

“Our wish is that Gerard’s memory will be left to our children now, as it should be, for a dad in a million who lived for them. He lived life to the full, it made him who he was. He loved us and we loved him. We are proud to be his family.”