J. Paul Getty oil heir Andrew Getty found dead in Hollywood mansion with 'internal injuries'

 
The Los Angeles County Coroner Ed Winter outside the home of Andrew Getty after he was found dead
David Gardner1 April 2015

The heir to one of America's greatest oil fortunes was found dead yesterday amid reports of mysterious circumstances.

Andrew Getty, the 47-year-old grandson of oil baron J. Paul Getty, was found naked from the waist down in the bathroom of his Hollywood Hills estate, according to police.

Reports in the U.S. suggested he suffered from a 'blunt force trauma' to the rectal area.

A woman who was at the home after the tragedy, reportedly the tycoon's ex girlfriend, called the police - and is cooperating with the investigation. Detectives say that preliminary investigations suggest that no foul play was involved.

A police officer extends tape around the home of Andrew Getty after his death

Police are said to have been called to the sprawling £2 million compound more than 30 times in the past. Prescription pills have been found at the residence and an unnamed woman is said to have broken into the house on several occasions.

But Tuesday's death appeared to be natural or an accident, Ed Winter, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, told the Los Angeles Times. It was unclear whether the cause was a fall or something else.

Los Angeles Police Department Commander Andrew Smith said last night that it was still 'very, very early in the investigation' but said that based on initial observations, 'this does not appear immediately to be a criminal act.'

Police at the oil heir's mansion in The Hollywood Hills

Just two weeks ago, Getty had taken a restraining order out against a woman, although police would not confirm her identity.

The deceased is one of four sons of Ann and Gordon P. Getty, one of J. Paul Getty's three sons. The parents, who live in San Francisco asked for privacy during this 'extremely difficult time.'

The tragedy is the latest misfortune to hit the family, once the richest in the United States. They are now number 54 on the list with an estimated fortune of around £3 billion.

Death: the heir to the oil fortune was found with internal injuries. Police do not suspect foul play

The Scotch-Irish Gettys struck liquid gold after immigrating to the U.S. from County Londonderry, Ireland.

Patriarch J Paul Getty had five children from five marriages, and one of his daughters-in-law died of a heroin overdose. When his grandson J Paul Getty III was kidnapped in 1973, his grandfather only agreed to pay the £2 million ransom for his release after the captors cut off one of the then 16-year-old's ears.

In 1999, Gordon Getty, Andrew's father, was at the centre of a scandal after it emerged that he had a secret family and had fathered three daughters, now aged 23, 25, and 29, with his mistress, Cynthia Beck.

The 70-year-old home where Getty was found dead was once owned by three-time Oscar winning film music composer Miklos Rozsa, best known for his 1985 'Ben Hur' score.

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