Intense grief can actually kill you: docs

DEBBIE REYNOLDS’ broken heart just couldn’t take it.

The 84-year-old Hollywood icon died from a stroke just one day after her actress daughter suffered the same fate — and devastated movie fans immediately wondered whether the celebrity mother’s death was triggered by heartbreak.

Science on “broken heart syndrome” — or “takotsubo cardiomyopathy” — is limited, but some studies suggest that passing away shortly after an earth-shattering event, such as a spouse or a close family member dying, is not just plausible, but natural.

“A real-life broken heart can actually lead to cardiac consequences,” the American Heart Association concluded in a study published this April. “You can experience these things even if you have no history of heart disease.”

“It could be the death of a loved one or even a divorce, breakup or physical separation, betrayal or romantic rejection,” the study added.

Researchers have found that women are more prone to experience the syndrome after an “emotionally stressful event.”

It is often misdiagnosed as a heart attack since the symptoms are similar.

“But unlike a heart attack, there’s no evidence of blocked heart arteries in broken heart syndrome,” the American Heart Association said.

Instead, a part of the heart temporarily expands and doesn’t pump properly during a broken heart episode — while the rest of the heart functions normally. If the victim has a weak heart, such an occurrence can prove fatal.

Thankfully, the symptoms — which include shortness of breath and intense chest pains — are usually treatable, and most patients make full recoveries within a few weeks. Some aren’t so lucky. Stars who have suffered fatal broken heart syndrome include Johnny Cash, who died from a heart attack within weeks of his ex-wife’s death. The parents of former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie recently died within minutes of each other.