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Heiress and socialite Casey Johnson lived a life of privilege that provided her great freedom -- and made her a frequent topic of gossip columns in the years leading up to her death this week.
The 30-year-old was pronounced dead Monday morning after being discovered by Los Angeles, California, police officers.
Police said there was no evidence of foul play, but after an autopsy Tuesday, the county coroner said the cause of death was still a mystery and ordered toxicology and other tests. Results could take weeks.
Johnson was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and co-wrote a book with her mother and father, "Managing Your Child's Diabetes," in 1994.
She was the daughter of New York Jets owner Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson and socialite Sale Johnson. She was the great-great-granddaughter of Robert Wood Johnson I, co-founder of the Johnson & Johnson company.
"The Johnson family is mourning its tragic loss, and asks for privacy during this very difficult time," a spokesman for the family said in an e-mailed statement. "The Johnson family wishes to thank everyone who has expressed condolences and support during this trying time. Your thoughts and prayers are deeply appreciated. The family has arranged for Casey to be flown back east to her final resting place. There will be a private funeral service later this week for the immediate family."
Casey Johnson was raised in Manhattan and attended prestigious New York schools. She went to Brown University for a short time, but left to intern at the New York City public relations firm owned by Lizzie Grubman.
In 2001, she worked as a beauty editor for the now defunct fashion and celebrity magazine Manhattan File. New York club owner Noel Ashman said he had been playing host to Johnson at his venues since her teenage years.
"She was a sweet and lovable girl, and she was always very nice and gracious," said Ashman, who has owned the clubs Veruka and The Plumm.
In late 2001, she moved to Los Angeles, where she bought a $3.2 million house in Beverly Hills, according to a profile of the heiress in Vanity Fair magazine. Often referred to as the "Band-Aid Heiress," a title she disliked, Johnson was a longtime fixture of gossip columns.
She had a brush with the law in November when she was arrested for allegedly breaking into the home of former friend Jasmine Lennard, a reality television star, and was charged with burglary and receiving stolen property. She pleaded not guilty.
Paris and Nicky Hilton both grew up with Johnson, spending much of their teenage years together in nightclubs and at swanky parties in New York City.
The sisters expressed their grief through their Twitter feeds.
"In bed crying, looking at baby pictures of Casey, Nicky and I. I feel so upset. I feel like I've lost a sister. My heart is broken. Miss her," Paris Hilton posted to Twitter.
Nicky Hilton concurred, posting, "Rest in pace Casey Johnson. I love and miss you so much. You are my best friend, my sister...I am broken without you."
Johnson is survived by her daughter Ava-Monroe. She adopted the girl from Kazakhstan in 2007. Ava has been living with Casey's mother, Sale, for the past several months, according to a family spokesman.
The year before adopting Ava, Johnson told an interviewer she had recently come back from a trip to poverty-stricken Cambodia with a new outlook on life.
She allowed the reporter, from Vanity Fair, to visit her two-story Spanish-style mansion in Los Angeles. That included a room-sized closet with dozens of pairs of designer shoes, but she admitted that amid all the luxury she felt like she had so much more than she would ever need. Still, she said, growing up rich "has its good side."
More recently, after ending a tumultuous relationship with a boyfriend, Johnson began dating women and was recently romantically linked to the flamboyant bisexual reality TV star Tila Tequila.
Tequila's publicist said the two were engaged. On her Twitter page, Tequila wrote late Monday, "Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away. Thank u for all ur love and support but I will be offline to be w family."

Her cause of death was under investigation, but there were no signs of foul play, police spokesman Officer Gregory Baek said.
Johnson was diagnosed with diabetes as a child, but it was unclear if that may have played a role in her death.
Additional tests, including a toxicology screening, could be ordered if the autopsy fails to determine how she died.
"We continue to inquire into prior medical history," Craig R. Harvey, a spokesman for the coroner's office, said in an e-mail.
Johnson was the daughter of Jets owner Robert Wood "Woody" Johnson IV. He is also chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and co-authored the book, "Managing Your Child's Diabetes."
Woody Johnson learned of his daughter's death just one day after his team clinched a playoff spot for the first time in three seasons.
Jets head coach Rex Ryan opened his press conference Tuesday by offering condolences to the owner.
"It's obviously a tragedy for Mr. Johnson and his family," Ryan said.
Casey Johnson had no role in the health care products company that her great-great-grandfather founded in 1886, even though she and her two younger sisters were heirs to the fortune.
The family's involvement with the corporation ended decades ago.
"We have expressed our condolences to the Johnson family for their tragic loss," Johnson & Johnson spokesman Jeff Leebaw said.
Like her friend and former high school classmate Paris Hilton, Johnson's exploits were detailed in tabloid reports of partying and sexual escapades. Johnson became a staple of the New York Post's Page Six, the gossip column where she was mockingly dubbed the "baby-oil heiress."
Johnson told Vanity Fair in a 2006 interview that her decision to turn down Hilton's invitation to be her co-star on "The Simple Life" reality show was "the stupidest mistake of my life."
In a Twitter posting Tuesday, Hilton said she was devastated by the death of her friend.
"In bed crying, looking at baby pictures of Casey, Nicky and I. I feel so upset. I feel like I've lost a sister. My heart is broken. Miss her," she wrote.
Johnson and Tila Tequila canoodled and announced they were engaged in a Web video last month. Tequila referred to Johnson as "my Wifey" in a Twitter posting after Johnson's death.
Johnson was recently arrested for investigation of stealing $22,000 in lingerie, mail, jewelry and other items from the Hollywood home of model friend Jasmine Lennard.
She pleaded not guilty last month to burglary and receiving stolen property, and had a preliminary hearing scheduled on Feb. 2, district attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
Johnson also was reportedly in a custody fight over her adopted daughter with her mother, Sale Johnson.
Casey Johnson adopted the child as a baby from Kazakhstan in 2007 and named her Ava-Monroe after her idol, Marilyn Monroe.
"I see a lot of similarities between us," Casey said about Monroe in the Vanity Fair interview. "Her life makes me sad. I don't think she was very happy.
"They thought she was some dumb blonde, and she wasn't. She was a smart, smart broad. And I think that sometimes people look at me and think, 'Oh, Casey Johnson, she's stupid, she's blonde, she's an heiress, blah, blah, blah.'"

Casey Johnson, the 30-year-old Johnson & Johnson heiress who was found dead, will be laid to rest later this week in a private funeral attended by immediate family.
"The Johnson family wishes to thank everyone who has expressed condolences and support during this trying time," said family spokesman Jesse Derris. "Your thoughts and prayers are deeply appreciated.
The socialite's family has arranged for her body to be "flown back east to her final resting place," Derris said. No other details were announced.
"The family asks for a measure of privacy over the next several days as they mourn their loss," Derris said.
Johnson, who made tabloid headlines recently by getting engaged to reality star Tila Tequila, was found dead Monday in her Los Angeles, California, home. Johnson had suffered from diabetes since she was a child and had battled drug problems in the past, though no cause of death has been determined and police found no obvious signs that she had taken illegal drugs.

Donald Trump boasted that the upcoming season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" is the best ever and promised the star power of its cast "blows `Dancing With the Stars' away."
Yes, it's a new cycle for the Trump-hosted competition show, which won't premiere until March 14 but threw an introductory news conference way back last October, with sworn-to-secrecy members of the media meeting the contenders.
Now NBC says it's time to unveil that roster of 14 participants, who will likely spur responses ranging from "Wow!" to "Huh?"
Maybe the most interesting participant is former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Vaulted to infamy by headlines and punch lines, he is charged with scheming to auction off President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat, campaign fundraising abuses and other offenses. He was removed from office last January, but has denied wrongdoing.
Maybe not so interesting: the comedian-actor Sinbad and Australian TV chef Curtis Stone.
"I'm certainly not a household name," said comedian-author Carol Leifer, but she sounded confident. "I'm not surprised that Joan Rivers won, because, as a standup comic, you're a one-man band — it makes you very prepared for stressful situations to be able to react to a lot of pressure. Humor is a weapon anywhere and everywhere!"
Former Poison vocalist Bret Michaels declared that, with a party-hearty rock singer's image, he would be assessed as the season's "super-underdog."
"But I've been my own boss since I've been 19 years old," said the 46-year-old former star of the "Rock of Love" reality show. "For better or worse, I've been on my own, I've learned to roll with the punches."
Then the pro wrestler-actor who calls himself Goldberg issued fair warning.
"I know I'm going to explode during this show at some point and say things I probably don't mean," he said. "I realize that about myself. I'm human and have flaws."
Baseball great Darryl Strawberry, rock-star wife and TV personality Sharon Osbourne, and Olympic gold-medal sprinter Michael Johnson will also be competing, along with singer Cyndi Lauper, actress Holly Robinson Peete and Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks.
As they spoke, the contestants were scheduled to begin taping "Celebrity Apprentice" the next day, and WWE wrestler-model Maria Kanellis was asked if they were already sizing up each other.
"Of course, we are!" she replied.
The celebrities won't be vying for a job with Trump, as in the old, civilian-cast "Apprentice," but instead will compete in business-oriented tasks around Manhattan to raise money for favorite charities.
"I live a fairly normal life. I'm a mom with two kids," said Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders, who is championing the Right to Play, an organization that uses sport and play to improve the lives of disadvantaged children. "But to have the opportunity to introduce my charity to the world is the reason I chose to do this."

"Celebrity Apprentice 3" executive producer and head honcho Donald Trump is claiming that this season's cast "blows 'Dancing With the Stars' away."
The celeb lineup, announced by NBC Monday, features baseball legend Darryl Strawberry, rockers Cyndi Lauper and Bret Michaels, Sharon Osbourne, former Olympians Michael Johnson and Summer Sanders, actress and author Holly Robinson Peete, wrestlers Goldberg and Maria Kanellis, comedians Carol Leifer and Sinbad, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, chef Curtis Stone and model Selita Ebanks.
The stars will compete in teams, men versus women, in business-centric tasks around New York City. All profits from the projects will be donated to charities of their choice.
"Celebrity Apprentice 3" will premiere March 14 at 9 p.m.
Blagojevich, who had hoped to appear on NBC's "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here" but was replaced by his wife, Patti, after a federal judge would not let him leave the country, said he plans to use his "skill and know-how to get things accomplished" on the series.
Trump praised Blagojevich's "tremendous courage and guts" and predicted he may be one of the show's breakout stars.
Dots all ...
ABC's "Nightline" had its best fourth quarter in total viewers in six years, according to Nielsen Media Research. For the quarter, the late-night news magazine averaged 4 million viewers.
During the same quarter, CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" averaged 4.22 million and NBC's "Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" averaged 2.55 million. For "Tonight," it was the lowest fourth quarter since 1991. ...

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will be among stars taking on real estate mogul Donald Trump in the boardroom for the "Celebrity Apprentice" television program in March, NBC said on Monday.
Blagojevich, who was forced to resign and is awaiting trial in Chicago on charges of trying to sell President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat, will face off against singer Cyndi Lauper, British TV reality judge Sharon Osbourne and 11 other celebrities in the third season of the show.
The Chicago judge handling the disgraced ex-governor's criminal case said in October that he was concerned Blagojevich might make comments on "Celebrity Apprentice" that could influence potential jurors or haunt him during the trial.
Blagojevich, who has pleaded innocent to all charges, has a tentative trial date of June 2010.
On the show's upcoming version, the celebrities will take part in business-oriented, women vs men tasks around New York, battling to avoid the famous words "You're fired!" from Trump and competing for charities close to their hearts.
Last year, Blagojevich was banned by a judge from traveling to Costa Rica to take part in another NBC reality show "I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" because of potential flight risk. His wife Patti took his spot instead, saying she was doing it to earn money for her family.
Other celebrities competing on "Celebrity Apprentice," starting March 14 include former baseball player Darryl Strawberry, rock singer Bret Michaels of the band Poison, retired Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson, Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks and wrestler and model Maria Kanellis.