Scott Sterling, the son of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, was found dead in his Malibu apartment in a possible drug overdose.
Police found the 32-year-old’s body around 11:30 pm Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department. It was unclear who called the police, but friends and family said they hadn’t seen him for a couple of days.
Lt. Larry Dietz said the death appeared to be accidental and that an autopsy will be performed to determine whether drugs were the cause.
Sterling had previously been in the news for a 1999 shooting of his childhood friend , Philip Scheid. The shooting was reportedly because of Lindsey McKeon, who appeared in Saved by the Bell: The New Class . Sterling, then 19, had strong feelings for the 17-year-old actress. Scheid said of Sterling, “He gets crazy when it comes to her.”
McKeon had gone to Sterling’s house to give him a letter after they had stopped seeing each other. They began talking before Scheid, who also had feelings for McKeon, showed up. Sterling thought Scheid had come to embarrass him, and the two began fighting. After they stopped fighting, Sterling retrieved a shotgun and pointed it at Scheid. He fired a shot, which hit Scheid in the lower legs.
Sterling could have been charged with attempted murder, but prosecutors weren’t actively pursuing the case.
Police claimed that Donald Sterling, who bought the Los Angeles Clippers for $12.5 million in 1981, had intimidated a detective, causing his son’s case to go uncharged.
The Clippers recently had a franchise-record 17-game winning streak. It ended Tuesday night when the team lost 92-78 to the Denver Nuggets.
