Editing Dana Plato (section)

== Death ==
[[File:Dana Plato's official death certificate.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Plato's official death certificate]]
On May 8, 1999, Plato and Menchaca were returning to California and stopped at Menchaca's mother's home in [[Moore, Oklahoma]], for a [[Mother's Day]] visit.<ref name="LittleGirlLost2"/> Later on in the visit, Plato said that she felt unwell and took a few doses of a [[Hydrocodone/paracetamol|hydrocodone / acetaminophen]] painkiller (Lortab), along with the muscle-relaxant [[carisoprodol]] (Soma),<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1999/05/10/actress-dana-plato-dies-at-34/c4fa4f99-c90e-455b-bd68-aefd2d79f8b8/?noredirect=on| title=Actress Dana Plato Dies at 34| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| date=October 5, 1999}}</ref> and went to lie down with Menchaca, inside her [[Winnebago Industries|Winnebago]] [[recreational vehicle]], which was parked outside the house.<ref name="LittleGirlLost2" /> Carisoprodol and hydrocodone are known to have major drug interactions that can lead to serious side effects including profound sedation, respiratory distress, coma, and even death.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drug Interactions between carisoprodol and hydrocodone |url=https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/carisoprodol-with-hydrocodone-527-0-2874-0.html |website=Drugs.com |publisher=[[Drugs.com]] |access-date=4 June 2024}}</ref> 

Upon waking up, Menchaca and the family discovered that Plato had died in her sleep at the age of 34. It was initially assumed to be an accidental overdose but was later ruled a suicide based on Plato's long history of substance abuse and past suicidal gestures.<ref>{{cite journal |last=O'Neill |first=Anne-Marie |date=June 7, 1999 |title=Seeking Serenity |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20128431,00.html |volume=51 |issue=20 |journal=People |access-date=June 1, 2010 |archive-date=May 20, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520092906/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20128431,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 21, 1999 |title=Death of 'Diff'rent Strokes' Actress Ruled A Suicide |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-05-21-9905220016-story.html |url-status=dead |access-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324025542/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-05-21-9905220016-story.html |archive-date=2019-03-24}}</ref><ref name="deseret">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19990521&id=79MiAAAAIBAJ&pg=6282,2811386 |title=Death of Actress Dana Plato in Oklahoma Ruled a Suicide |date=May 21, 1999 |work=[[Deseret News]] |agency=Associated Press |access-date=August 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/052299/ent_052299095.shtml |title=Doctor rules Dana Plato's death suicide |date=May 22, 1999 |newspaper=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]] |access-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-date=August 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830010344/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/052299/ent_052299095.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some of Plato's friends and associates, including her former ''Diff'rent Strokes'' co-star Todd Bridges, have publicly disagreed with the medical examiner's ruling, with Bridges stating that Plato had consumed the fatal cocktail of drugs in an ambiguous amount in order to fall asleep.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Autopsy: The Last Hours of Dana Plato|series=Autopsy: The Last Hours of...|people=Eric Meyers (narrator), Suzy Davis, Phil Mount, and Michael Kelpie (executive producers)|network=Reelz|date=March 8, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7meYwuz_VUY |title=Todd Bridges on Dana Plato (Kimberly Drummond) Making Adult Film, Dying from Pills (Part 14) |date=2023-10-17 |last=djvlad |access-date=2024-06-24 |via=YouTube}}</ref> Plato's body was [[cremation|cremated]] and her ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{cite book |title=Where Are They Buried?: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CBRlDwAAQBAJ&q=plato |last=Benoit |first=Tod |publisher=Running Press |date=March 26, 2019 |isbn=978-0762466801 |page=211}}</ref>