Margot Kidder’s Death Ruled to Be Suicide by Overdose

The Park County Coroner’s office released new details about Margot Kidder‘s death from earlier this year, ruling that she passed away from an intentional overdose of drugs and alcohol.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Kidder’s daughter Maggie McGuane said the family decided to make her mother’s suicide public because “she believes it’s important to be open and honest about the suicide so there’s no cloud of shame.”

“She says it’s a unique sort of grief and pain and that she would like to reach out to every family who is suffering through a loss by suicide,” the report states.

Kidder lived with bipolar disorder for years and became an advocate for raising awareness about mental health.

When Kidder’s death was reported in May, the cause of death was unknown at the time. But McGuane said she knew her mother committed suicide when she arrived at Kidder’s home in May, and said it’s a relief now that the truth is out in the public.

Kidder is prominently known for her role as Lois Lane in the Superman series of films, and also for her role in The Amityville Horror. She’s appeared in TV series such as The L Word, Smallville, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

She also won an Emmy Award in 2015 for Outstanding Performer in Children’s Programming for her role in R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour.

Kidder spoke about her time out of Hollywood in a 2016 interview with HeyUGuys when asked about a potential appearance on The CW’s slate of DC Comics- based TV shows.

“I am an old broad now!” Kidder said. “So I look back at this with much more amusement than I did. I don’t have a career I need to worry about protecting. My life has nothing to do with movies anymore. I live in a little town in Montana and basically do political activism.”

Kidder passed away at age 69 in her Livingston, Montana home on May 14, 2018.