R.I.P.

What tragic news.

Nora O'Brien, a vice president of drama programming for NBC Universal, passed away this Wednesday night after she collapsed during a basketball game on set while on location in Berkeley, where a pilot TV series was being filmed.

The crew was in town working on a pilot titled Parenthood. based on the '80s movie. And O'Brien, who was 44-years-old, was playing a basketball game with her co-workers when she started complaining about feeling dizzy and collapsed at 9:20pm.

Then, just before 10pm that night, she passed away at a local hospital. Paramedics performed CPR on her when they arrived on set but it didn't help.

Marin County Coroner Ken Holmes reveals that "She had just shot a basket and ran off the court complaining of feeling dizzy." That's when she "fell backward and that was it."

He added that Nora didn't have any history of health problems, but did conclude that he believes she didn't die from her fall. Though he has yet to determine a cause of death as they're pending an autopsy now.

NBC released a statement yesterday saying "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of our beloved colleague Nora who was respected and cherished by so many people in the entertainment community. She'll truly be missed by all of us."

Our thoughts are with her family and colleagues.

[Image via Paul Drinkwater / NBC Universal]

Posted: May 1, 2009 at 1:05 pm / Email this »

See All 26 Comments

26 comments to “R.I.P.”

LoveLabels says – reply to this

1

its the swine flu!!!
SELENA4EVA says – reply to this

2

Danny Gans ..Sad…Nora o'brien..sad..I don't even know who they are though..
UrMajestyMsG says – reply to this

3

DONT KNOW WHO SHE IS…
BUT FEEL FOR HER AND HER FAMILY…
NOW IM GOING TO BE PARANOID FOR THE REST OF THE DAY…
I TEND TO BECOME HYPOCHONDRIAC WHEN I READ SHIT LIKE THIS…
buck says – reply to this

4

Hopefully you got this one right Perez…but in the future stay out of the obituary business.
sheba088 says – reply to this

5

Hello peeps! This is sad! Whoa prayers to the family! Re: UrMajestyMsG – Agreed! But, have a nice Friday anyway.
Solaera says – reply to this

6

Who?
NativeNYer says – reply to this

7

Sounds like she had a brain aneurysm. It's usually sudden and deadly. Very sad.
Nickysue says – reply to this

8

This sounds like the widow maker artery being blocked. I had a friend who died in just this way… very sudden and very sad!
SWEETPIECE! says – reply to this

9

Wow, sad.
She was so young!
Iheartsahsha says – reply to this

10

she died of a brain aneurysm! Thoughts and prayers for her family and friends.
Qboy says – reply to this

11

i used to be her intern 10 years ago! weird….
gizawot says – reply to this

12

aww
dont know who she is but heart gose out to the family and friends!!
gravytoot says – reply to this

13

Whoopty doo.
Melissa is always RIGHT says – reply to this

14

ANOTHER LIB BITES THE DUST…..RIP LIB.
Georgia Bulldogs says – reply to this

15

Did they ask her if she supported same-sex marriage? I don't want to send any condolences until I know she was gay friendly. If she supported prop 8 she can rot in hell!
@v@ says – reply to this

16

Re: Georgia Bulldogs – Yeah, because it's only OK to show compassion if she agreed with you. Rolls eyes.
Dontgetit! says – reply to this

17

That is so weird yet so sad…….she was so young and no forewarning! I feel really bad for her family!
harding says – reply to this

18

Re: Georgia Bulldogs – Nora was a dear friend of mine and I am completely offended by your stupid and insensitive "post". You're an idiot. And, if you bothered to really care about what you posted a simple google search would have shown you that Nora was a dedicated board member and volunteer for hollywood heart (an organization that works with children affected by HIV). www.hollywoodheart.org While I completely appreciate the sentiment of posting a RIP for our friend Nora, I worry that this will become a forum for snarky and inappropriate banter. That's fine for day to day gossip. But I beg you not to post insensitively about someone by every account was a great, wonderful, and warm person.
Dorein says – reply to this

19

So, so sad. May God Bless her, and my prayers are with her family.
lilbug says – reply to this

20

you should check up on this if you are going to report. she died in sausalito. and that is why you have it written that the marin coroner (berkeley is not in marin county)
old men are gross says – reply to this

21

That's a shame! Shocking. I feel bad for her family and friends.

Did you know her, Perez?
old men are gross says – reply to this

22

Re: harding –

My condolences to you. Thank you for highlighting what I'm sure are just some of her achievements. My thoughts are with you and her family.
miss_couture says – reply to this

23

UGH! perez quite acting like you care by posting the death of a nobody
pro-prop8 says – reply to this

24

burn in hell BIATCH. NBC is the biggest propaganda machine since Stalin's reign.
Angry1 says – reply to this

25

As a friend and colleague of Nora's, and as a human being, I am truly APPALLED by the outright disgusting and inappropriate comments thus far to such a serious and sad post. Pro-Prop 8, you should seriously rethink your entire life. No person on this Earth is a nobody, and to flippantly quip your disdain for another's very LIFE is about the lowest, most inhuman thing I can imagine. Perez, please shut off and remove the comments on this post, if you would.
alimac says – reply to this

26

I know it's off the subject, sorry she died, and so young, but if she died in Berkeley, that is in Alameda County, not Marin County. So where did she die?