It girl Tara died of natural causes
TRAGIC Tara Palmer-Tomkinson died peacefully in her sleep from a perforated ulcer and had been making plans for the future, her family revealed yesterday.
Santa Montefiore, 47, posted a series of tweets to “clarify” the circumstances of her 45-year-old sister’s death.
Former It girl Tara – who was suffering from an auto-immune disease, had been diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and had battled cocaine addiction – was found dead at her flat in Earl’s Court, west London, on February 8.
But author Mrs Montefiore revealed details of a coroner’s report yesterday as she thanked well-wishers. She wrote: “I’ve been so touched by the warm response to Tara’s death. Thank you from the whole family. But I’d like to clarify a couple of points. Today the coroner’s report states that Tara died of natural causes – a perforated ulcer. She did not have a brain tumour.”
In a statement, Tara’s family also thanked “the many people” who had contacted them, adding it has been “a source of great comfort to know how loved she was by so many people”. The statement added: “Those that knew and were close to Tara knew that there was no retreat to a ‘dark place’ as some have disappointingly sought to suggest.
“In the last few weeks Tara was happy, positive and making plans for when she recovered her health.
“As usual she had been busy with the friends and family she loved and who loved her in return.
“She was in communication with her family and others of whom she was fond over her final weekend and had spent a lot of her time recording music and playing the piano in her apartment – a sure sign that she was happy and feeling good.”
The family confirmed her funeral will be held on February 27. They said: “This will be a private moment for family and close friends to grieve and we would ask that our privacy at this time is respected. We will miss Tara very much and will never forget the joy, love and humour she brought to our lives.”
In her tweets Mrs Montefiore – married to the TV historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore – added that “contrary to some reports, Tara was not the goddaughter of HRH the Prince of Wales”.
She echoed the family statement saying that her sister had been in “high spirits in her last days. She had plans, trips and had written a moving new song”.