Autopsy: Former Disney Executive Dave Hollis Died of Accidental Overdose, Had Heart Issues 2023
Author and former Disney executive Dave Hollis’s cause of death was confirmed.
According to a Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy obtained by PEOPLE, Hollis, who died in February at 47, had fatal quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol.
The motivational author and father of four was unresponsive when investigators arrived at his Hays County home, and the autopsy reveals he died shortly after. Hollis died accidentally.
The Medical Examiner reported high blood pressure, depression, and drug and alcohol misuse for Hollis.
The Medical Examiner noted Hollis had hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which causes “narrowing and hardening of vessels that supply blood to the heart.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Hollis had moderate to severe atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque “in and on the artery walls,” and a “underlying natural disease of the heart that would have predisposed it to developing an abnormal rhythm, particularly in the presence of a stimulant drug such as cocaine.”
Rachel Hollis, Hollis’ ex-wife, did not respond to PEOPLE’s inquiry.
The Hollywood Reporter said that a family member said David died at his home near Austin. THR and Variety said he was hospitalized for heart troubles before his death.
“We are devastated,” ex-wife Rachel Hollis, an author and influencer renowned for Girl, Wash Your Face, wrote on social media. “I have no words and my heart is too broken to find them.” She added, “Please wrap the kids up in prayers as we try to navigate through the unthinkable.”
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures President, Theatrical Distribution CinemaCon 2018 The State of the Industry and Walt Disney Studios Presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace features Dave Hollis.
Dave and Rachel have four children: Jackson, Sawyer, Ford, and Noah. They divorced in June 2020 after 16 years of marriage.
Hollis blogged about his four-month sobriety in May 2022. “I use an app that counts the number of days since I last had a drink…I plan to have it counting forever, but am only focused on today,” the post continues. After a “long, exhausting, very dark three month window where my worst insecurities spoke loudest,” Hollis turned to drink to cope.
Dave’s final social media post showed his daughter smiling by the water. From freezing to shorts in 48 hours. ,”
According to THR and Variety, Dave led Disney’s theatrical distribution from 2011 to 2018, launching Frozen, Black Panther, the Avengers, and more. Dave moved his family to Texas from Disney in 2018. His then-wife Rachel owned Chic Media, which he operated. They divorced two years later.
“We started out as best friends 18 years ago and the truth is, that core friendship and the parts of us that work so well, have become a band-aid for the parts that don’t,” Rachel remarked at the time.
Dave, a New York Times best-selling author, hosted the “Rise Together” podcast before his death. According to THR, he wrote Get Out of Your Own Way in 2020 about his drinking and marriage issues, Built Through Courage in 2021, and Here’s to Your Dreams in 2022.
