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Coroner: Smith died of diet pill overdose

Published Nov. 2, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Bubba Smith, the former NFL player-turned-actor and TV pitchman, died of acute drug intoxication and other conditions, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Wednesday.

A caretaker at the 66-year-old Smith's home in Baldwin Hills found his body on Aug. 3.

Autopsy results show the 6-foot-7 Smith had high levels of the weight-loss drug phentermine in his system, coroner's spokesman Ed Winter said in a news release. He also had heart disease, an enlarged heart and up to 75 percent blockage of some blood vessels.

Smith was the top overall pick in the 1967 draft after playing at Michigan State, where he was an All-America pick in 1966. His No. 95 jersey was retired in 2006.

He spent five seasons with the Baltimore Colts, where he played on the 1971 Super Bowl team, and two seasons each with Oakland and Houston.

As an actor, he played soft-spoken Officer Moses Hightower in the ''Police Academy'' movie series. He also appeared in such television series as ''Good Times,'' ''Charlie's Angels,'' and ''Half Nelson,'' and was a regular in the ground-breaking Miller Lite commercials featuring retired players.

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