# Is Blago dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864 "2009-09-13T00:00:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/1 "2009-09-13T00:00:10Z")
I just heard that blago is dead, but I can’t find info. Not near TV. Is this true? Thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/2 "2009-09-13T00:01:35Z")
One of his former aides is: [http://www.suntimes.com/1767469,christopher-kelly-blagojevich-dead-091209.article](http://www.suntimes.com/1767469,christopher-kelly-blagojevich-dead-091209.article) ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/3 "2009-09-13T03:19:23Z")
Ok now the Chicago Tribune is reporting that [Kelly died of salicylate intoxication.](http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/09/sources-say-theyve-been-notified-key-blagojevich-probe-figure-is-dead.html) WTF? Am I the only one who thinks that sounds weird? Salicylates are found in painkillers like aspirin and products like Pepto-Bismol. [Link.](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1009987-overview) The article from the Trib says: > [@](#): > > Kelly was found in a lumber yard near 173rd Street and Cicero Avenue in Country Club Hills late Friday, said the town’s mayor, Dwight Welch. Kelly arrived at Oak Forest Hospital at 11:15 p.m. Friday, said Marcel Bright, a Stroger Hospital spokesman. Uh, really? Found in a lumber yard? Why would you choose aspirin as a method to kill yourself? And wouldn’t you have to take a heck of alot for it to work? It will be interesting to see where this goes. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/4 "2009-09-13T15:43:29Z")
Let the conspiracy theories begin! ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/5 "2009-09-13T17:01:54Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Ok now the Chicago Tribune is reporting that [Kelly died of salicylate intoxication.](http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/09/sources-say-theyve-been-notified-key-blagojevich-probe-figure-is-dead.html) WTF? Am I the only one who thinks that sounds weird? Salicylates are found in painkillers like aspirin and products like Pepto-Bismol. [Link.](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1009987-overview) > The article from the Trib says: > > Uh, really? Found in a lumber yard? > > Why would you choose aspirin as a method to kill yourself? And wouldn’t you have to take a heck of alot for it to work? > > It will be interesting to see where this goes. Unlike opiate pain relievers, asprin doesn’t make one sleepy. It also takes much longer to die from. It causes bleeding in the intestine. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/6 "2009-09-13T20:42:52Z")
Salicylate poisoning is a shitty, shitty way to go - about the exact opposite of a death with dignity. Although many, maybe most, of the terms will be foreign to non-medical types, you can get a sense of the nastiness of salicylate poisoning by looking at the paragraph labeled “Physical” in [this link](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/818242-overview) and noting the variety of bad things that can happen. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/7 "2009-09-13T20:48:00Z")
Yeah I sorta knew that; I still think it is an odd drug of choice for suicide. Wouldn’t you have to take alot more aspirin than of an opiate to kill yourself? And regarding conspiracy theories: until someone says there is any reason to consider this anything other than suicide I’m not going to engage in conjecture. I just find it very odd. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/8 "2009-09-13T20:50:05Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Yeah I sorta knew that; I still think it is an odd drug of choice for suicide. Wouldn’t you have to take alot more aspirin than of an opiate to kill yourself? That’s assuming you have an opiate at hand, though. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/9 "2009-09-13T21:50:07Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Yeah I sorta knew that; I still think it is an odd drug of choice for suicide. Wouldn’t you have to take alot more aspirin than of an opiate to kill yourself? > > And regarding conspiracy theories: until someone says there is any reason to consider this anything other than suicide I’m not going to engage in conjecture. I just find it very odd. If he weighed 150 lbs (330 kg) he would have to take around 156 325mg tablets. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/10 "2009-09-13T22:00:32Z")
Probably suicide. After all he was going to be convicted and then his career destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/11 "2009-09-14T03:36:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Let the conspiracy theories begin! Don’t mind if I do! Let’s see, I see a Vince Foster connection here. Sorry, I’m off my game a bit, but I’ll be back to finish it off. hh ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/12 "2009-09-14T04:05:38Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > If he weighed 150 lbs (330 kg) he would have to take around 156 325mg tablets. Uh, that’s 68 kg. And 50 to 60 extra strengths would do it. Not that many and easy to a hold of. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/13 "2009-09-14T07:30:53Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Uh, that’s 68 kg. And 50 to 60 extra strengths would do it. Not that many and easy to a hold of. Wow, was I asleep? Sorry about the faulty math. I should have noticed that! ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/14 "2009-09-14T07:46:18Z")
Here’s a factual question- Who gives a fuck? I want updates on Britney’s twat! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/15 "2009-09-14T11:04:14Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > Probably suicide. After all he was going to be convicted and then his career destroyed. Morning news here in Chicago is saying that Kelly (at the hospital, prior to his death) said it was a suicide attempt, as did his girlfriend. An odd note is that he apparently also said he recently had surgery “on his private parts”, whatever significance that has. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/16 "2009-09-14T15:18:37Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Morning news here in Chicago is saying that Kelly (at the hospital, prior to his death) said it was a suicide attempt, as did his girlfriend. An odd note is that he apparently also said he recently had surgery “on his private parts”, whatever significance that has. 😕 And [here’s a link](http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/blagojevich/1769260,CST-NWS-kelly14.article). The mayor of the village said he was sitting up on the gurney and talking, looking like he might pull through, when he was making these statements. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/17 "2009-09-14T15:31:35Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Uh, that’s 68 kg. And 50 to 60 extra strengths would do it. Not that many and easy to a hold of. I guess the thing for me is that I hate taking pills and always have. 50 to 60 pills seems like a huge number of pills to swallow. Personally, I have a hard time swallowing more than two without gagging. And, yes I understand you wouldn’t swallow that many all at once. I still think I’d puke before I could get that many pills down. I guess he was seriously determined to check out. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-blago-dead/509864/18 "2009-09-14T16:37:49Z")
If that’s how it really went down, yeah, that’s what I was thinking too. That’s a LOT of pills.