Brittany Murphy

'My patients are dying every day from medication prescribed by my peers,' Pinsky tells MTV News.By Gil Kaufman Dr. Drew Pinsky Photo: John Shearer/ WireImage Though a drug overdose is suspected, Los Angeles police have not yet determined what substance killed actor Corey Haim, 38. But for addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky, Wednesday's (March 10) headlines offered a sadly similar refrain. "I never met Corey, but people brought his name up to me hundreds of times, and as I'm sure I've told you, this is just the beginning of a tidal wave of more of this," he said. "My patients are dying every day from medication prescribed by my peers. And it's not just young Hollywood but all kinds of people, and you don't need illicit drugs anymore because pharmaceuticals are just as powerful." Corey Haim: A Life In Photos Haim struggled with addiction to crack, alcohol and prescription medication for years. TMZ has reported that a number of prescription-medication bottles were found near the actor's body and that his mother confirmed that he'd long struggled with a pill addiction. Pinsky, host of VH1's "Celebrity Rehab," never treated Haim but said he was the kind of star who might have benefited from being on the show. "I can't confirm it, but I just heard that our producers had reached out to him, and he reacted enraged and insulted, like, 'How dare you!' " Pinsky said. "Which is a shame, because he would have really been helped. All I know is that our outcomes are pretty good, and there's something about the cameras and doing it publicly that holds people accountable and makes them want to be an inspiration to other people." Following on the heels of the deaths of Heath Ledger and recovering addict DJ AM, who died from a combination of legal and illicit drugs, as well as Brittany Murphy, who died from a combination of pneumonia and an over-the-counter-drug overdose, Pinsky said Haim's death is a sad continuation of a trend he's seen developing for more than five years. "It's so easy to get these medications, and sometimes well-meaning physicians who don't understand addiction prescribe them for legitimate reasons, like in DJ AM's case," said Pinsky, referring to the anti-anxiety meds AM took following the fiery plane crash in 2008 that he and Travis Barker survived. "But they start taking them and don't realize the trouble they're getting into." Sometimes, it's merely a form of denial on the part of the addict, Pinsky said, a feeling of "the doctor is prescribing them and I feel better, so it must be OK." But, especially with former addicts, that feeling subsides and it leads to the same escalating addiction behavior. "Addiction is a deadly disease, and the prognosis is worse than most cancers," said Pinsky, who predicted that some of the high-profile patients he's treated on his show may end up dying because of the disease. Related Videos Remembering Corey Haim Related Photos Corey Haim: A Life In Photos

'In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people,' Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences executive director says.By Larry Carroll Farrah Fawcett Photo: Keystone/ Getty Images Two days after fans of Farrah Fawcett began complaining that the late "Charlie's Angels" star had been overlooked by the Oscars, an Academy Awards representative is speaking for the first time about the omission, and revealing that it was done on purpose. Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences executive director Bruce Davis, speaking on behalf of the committee who assembles Oscar's yearly "In Memoriam" segment, told the Associated Press that it was a difficult decision to omit Fawcett and that they expected some controversy. "[The committee] was kind of figuring that probably the Farrah Fawcett and Gene Barry omissions would be the ones we'd get the most comments on," Davis said, also naming the veteran actor whose 1963-1966 series "Burke's Law" kept him predominantly remembered as a TV star. "[We] did get one letter about Miss Fawcett." Farrah Fawcett, A Life In Photos During Sunday's highly rated Oscar telecast, a video tribute was shown featuring such memorable Hollywood names as Brittany Murphy, David Carradine and Patrick Swayze. But Fawcett — who had memorable turns in such films as "The Apostle," "The Cannonball Run" and "Logan's Run," and who got Oscar buzz herself for a performance in the 1986 rape drama "Extremities" — was nowhere to be found. Citing the "remarkable television work" of Fawcett and Barry, the Academy ultimately decided to omit the two actors intentionally. Those playing along at home, however, might point to the fact that Michael Jackson was featured prominently during the "In Memoriam" clip, but will hardly be remembered first and foremost as a movie star. Diagnosed with cancer in 2006, Fawcett died in June 209. "In every category, you're going to miss some wonderful people," Davis said. "There's nothing you can say to people, particularly to family members, within a day or two of the show that helps at all. ... They tend to be surprised and hurt, and we understand that and we're sorry for it." Fawcett's longtime partner, actor Ryan O'Neal, said that he was confused by the omission — a sentiment echoed by several other famous folks who knew and loved Fawcett. In past years, similar controversies have erupted concerning omitted names like Brad Renfro and Gene Siskel. Relive all the best moments from the 2010 Academy Awards with photos, interviews, blogs, post-show analysis and more, right here at MTV News. Related Photos Farrah Fawcett, A Life In Photos