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00:06We're trying CPR, we're not getting anything, we're not getting a pulse, we're not getting
00:10nothing. Come on, Dana. Come on, Dana. Dana, come on.
00:17This frantic 911 call was logged at the Moore, Oklahoma Police Department on the evening
00:22of May 8th, 1999. The victim was Dana Plato, former star of TV's Different Strokes. Resuscitation
00:31efforts failed and Plato was pronounced dead a short time later. She was just 34 years
00:37old. It was a sad end for the child star, the end of a misbegotten life played out in tabloid
00:44headlines. It is a tale involving alcohol. She was drinking almost a gallon of vodka and
00:50two six-packs a day. Sex. First thing she'd tell you is, I don't care, I'll take my clothes
00:55off if it's the right role. And scandal. Girl after Fred Stokes, Kimberly Drummond just robbed
01:00me. But behind the headlines was a story more sordid, more startling, and more tragic than
01:07any tabloid reporter could imagine. In the next hour, we'll tell you that story. The whole
01:14story. We'll hear from Dana Plato in one of her last interviews, just months before her
01:20death. I was working really, really hard to just destroy anything that came into my path.
01:26We'll witness Dana's meteoric rise from troubled child to the star of a popular sitcom.
01:32She had a wonderful, vivacious life to her that was just very engaging. And we'll examine
01:39the behavior that led a seemingly innocent child star down the road to self-destruction.
01:45She had an alcohol problem. She had a drug problem. She had a bulimic problem. And she
01:50had an anorexic problem. When you get to that point, yeah, you're hoping, you're hoping that
01:55next one's going to kill you. We'll watch as Dana turns soft core and her career plummets
02:01into obscurity. I just love seeing with the woman, well, our nipples touched, and now it's
02:05x-rayed. I'm in a porno. We'll look at the agonizing last days in the life of Dana Plato.
02:12She'd talk about the craziest things, like, I don't even care whether I live anymore. I've
02:16had it. And finally, in an exclusive interview, we'll hear from Dana's heartbroken son.
02:23Well, she died the day before Mother's Day. This is the tragic story of a young woman who
02:28lived life on the edge, gambled at every turn, and paid the ultimate price. This is the story
02:35of Dana Plato, the E. True Hollywood story.
02:39Her life's ambition was to be a star.
02:45She never recovered from the public.
02:55Spring 1964. In America's heartland, a young woman received news that, to most, would be
03:02joyful. But Linda Strain was only 17, and she was devastated.
03:07I had a little girl already. We were too young to marry. And then I was pregnant again
03:14by somebody else. And 34 years ago, that was a no-no.
03:19The Missouri teenager faced a difficult decision.
03:23We'd have to put this baby up for adoption. There was no way we could keep another child.
03:28It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life.
03:32To conceal her pregnancy, Linda traveled to her sister's home in Maywood, just south of
03:38Los Angeles. On November 7th, 1964, Linda gave birth to a baby girl.
03:46I didn't even see her. Had I saw her, had I touched her, I could never have given her up.
03:51Never.
03:52The infant was adopted by Dean and Kay Plato, who were unable to have children of their own.
03:57The couple lived in nearby Montebello, California, where they ran a trucking business.
04:03Kay and Dean brought the newborn home from the hospital and named her Dana Michelle.
04:09As a toddler, Dana's family realized she had a sparkle that set her apart from other children.
04:16Kay's cousin, Sandy Teitelman.
04:18When we would have family gatherings, Dana would come in and sing for us and dance for us.
04:24And she would make a point to sit on everybody's lap and give them a hug and give them a
04:29smile.
04:30Little Dana loved to be the center of attention.
04:33I'm one of those people that, like, I guess I just demand it.
04:36You know, I've always been like that.
04:37You know, I love sharing space with people.
04:42You know, so whether it's all, it's not really all about me, but it's like, I will get you to
04:46please play with me.
04:47But in May 1968, the good times were suddenly shattered.
04:52Kay and Dean Plato divorced.
04:54Dana was just three years old.
04:57After the separation, Dana saw Dean maybe once a week.
05:01As years went on, not at all.
05:03Dana and her mother developed an impenetrable bond.
05:06Kay loved that girl, took care of her, dotered on her.
05:10She was always with Dana.
05:12They were, after a while, more like sisters.
05:15But six months after the divorce, Kay and Dana's world was rocked again.
05:21Kay was diagnosed with scleroderma, a rare autoimmune affliction commonly referred to as the disease that turns people into stone.
05:29Kay's best friend, Collie Videl Smith.
05:32Kay was an extremely vibrant woman.
05:34She enjoyed life.
05:35She wanted to live.
05:36And when she heard that she had this devastating disease, she could have done one or two things.
05:40She could have gone down with it a lot faster or she was going to try and live life to
05:45its fullest.
05:46And the latter is the road that she took.
05:49Kay was honest with her four-year-old daughter about the disease, including the fact that scleroderma is terminal.
05:55You've got Dana growing up with this incredibly brave woman, but this woman who was in pain and who was
06:01slowly deteriorating.
06:03Dana was trying to be brave and putting up that front, which grew a boogeyman inside of her.
06:09So you've got this incredible companionship, Dana's fear of loss, and Kay's saying,
06:15Hey, listen, we'll make it. We'll make it together, darling. Don't worry.
06:18Kay did her best to maintain a sense of normalcy in Dana's life.
06:23Then, in 1971, the seven-year-old was bit by the acting bug.
06:28I saw a television commercial and I completely connected with this young girl on the television.
06:33And I felt a connection that I had never felt before.
06:35And I said to my mom, I'd like to try that.
06:37Kay Plato supported her daughter's decision to act and signed Dana with a talent agency.
06:43Dana's career took off.
06:45During the next six years, she appeared in more than 100 commercials.
06:50Twelve-year-old Dana finally got her first theatrical break in 1977 when she landed a role in Return to
06:57Boggy Creek.
06:58The role was small, but Dana was determined to make it big.
07:02Her outgoing personality made her popular among classmates at Sutter Junior High School in Canoga Park, California.
07:10Then, in 1978, Dana's charisma caught the eye of television executive Al Burton.
07:17I see this absolutely adorable girl who must have been 13 at the time.
07:23And she had the pep, the energy, the sparkle.
07:26Burton gave Dana the opportunity of a lifetime.
07:30Dana Plato's young life was a struggle from the very beginning.
07:34She was given up for adoption.
07:36Then, her new mother came down with a devastating and deadly disease.
07:40But then, Dana discovered a talent for acting, and Hollywood took notice.
07:46Dana's reign as television's teen queen was about to begin, but not without serious consequences.
07:54She was, you know, a wild and free teenager, flapper of the 1970s.
08:00And yet, she was definitely headed in a very bad direction.
08:09In the early 1970s, America was hungry for TV sitcoms, and producer Norman Lear kept viewers well-fed.
08:18Lear's company, Tandem Productions, produced a string of hits, including All in the Family and The Jeffersons.
08:26In 1978, producer Al Burton began development of a new sitcom, Different Strokes.
08:33Nine-year-old Gary Coleman was the first actor cast in the show.
08:38A rich Caucasian millionaire adopts two Afro-American males to live in his penthouse,
08:45because their housekeeper, his housekeeper was their mother, and he felt obligated to take care of her kids.
08:52Veteran actor Conrad Bain signed on to play the lead role of millionaire Philip Drummond.
08:58Drummond's adopted sons were played by Coleman and 13-year-old Todd Bridges.
09:04Dana Plato, also 13, was the last to join the ensemble cast as Drummond's teenage daughter, Kimberly.
09:12On November 3rd, 1978, Different Strokes premiered on NBC.
09:18Actor Conrad Bain.
09:20The series was an instant hit.
09:22It really was a hit.
09:23Bam, just like that.
09:24Dana Plato quickly became Primetime's newest sweetheart.
09:29Oh, look at them, Daddy.
09:30Just look at them.
09:31Aren't they gorgeous?
09:32Real boys.
09:34Welcome, little brother.
09:36She was a cute little girl.
09:38Just darling.
09:39And had a wonderful, vivacious life to her that was just very engaging.
09:46Just lovely.
09:47Cast members were thrilled by the show's success,
09:49but the production schedule was grueling for the three young actors.
09:54It was very difficult for us, though, because we were children and we were indoors and we were working,
09:58and we needed to be able to be children.
10:00The demanding routine wasn't the only challenge.
10:03The young stars struggled with their newfound fame.
10:07Series director, Garen Keith.
10:09They couldn't be out, you know, in the parks and in the stores.
10:14They couldn't go anywhere without being noticed and being approached.
10:17The public really owned these kids.
10:20They were so endeared by the public.
10:24Dana Plato became overwhelmed by her sudden celebrity status.
10:29There's a part of you that's always bared.
10:31You're always vulnerable.
10:33You're always in a fishbowl.
10:36The claustrophobic atmosphere weighed heavily on Dana,
10:40and she looked for relief in a bottle.
10:43Plato's former manager, Gerald Wolfe.
10:46In reality, Dana was drinking when she was 13 or 14 years old.
10:51Dana liked to take a drink now and then.
10:54After the show, she would go home and sit down.
10:57She'd have a glass of wine.
10:59Then wine became vodka.
11:02But this was not Dana's first time experimenting with controlled substances.
11:06According to family friend, Collie Vidal-Smith.
11:10She was around 12.
11:12She got introduced to drugs at her school.
11:16Uppers, downers.
11:18And I do believe that a young friend at school that started her and got her hooked.
11:23By 1980, Different Strokes was in its third season.
11:28Cast and crew began to notice 16-year-old Dana's problem.
11:32I remember Todd coming up to me and asking me if Dana had been drinking
11:37or had I seen Dana take a drink.
11:40Apparently, her breath reeked of alcohol.
11:43Different Strokes' writer, Ben Starr.
11:46She was always off in limbo somewhere.
11:50Preoccupied.
11:51We kind of had a joke.
11:53We said, if you don't hear any dialogue, it's Dana.
11:56What the crew didn't know was that Dana's drug and alcohol problems
12:00were compounded by troubles at home.
12:02Dana's mother, Kay, now 11 years into her battle with scleroderma,
12:08was deteriorating fast.
12:10She was in hospital for like six to eight weeks at a time.
12:14Anything that Dana did, it wasn't that Kay turned a blind eye to.
12:19It's just that Kay herself was so sick, was so physically ill,
12:26that she wasn't able to be in two places at once.
12:29Despite her illness, Kay arranged for 16-year-old Dana to seek drug counseling in 1981.
12:37I don't think that she believed that Dana had a big drug problem at that point,
12:41but she knew that she was on something.
12:44And Dana would have to visit with a psychiatrist.
12:46And then Kay started to go downhill head first then.
12:50She was sliding very fast toward the end.
12:52In the late 70s, Dana Plato was plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight
12:58when the sitcom Different Strokes became a hit show.
13:01But Dana could not resist the temptation of drugs and alcohol,
13:05and her career was about to come to a screeching halt.
13:09I'm very wild.
13:10I've always been very free and a little too free for my own good.
13:19By the fifth season of Different Strokes in 1982,
13:2317-year-old Dana had blossomed into a beautiful young woman.
13:27She became the heartthrob of every young teenage boy in America.
13:32Dana was at the peak of her popularity,
13:34pulling down $22,000 per episode
13:37and making even more money from commercial endorsements targeted to teens.
13:42Try Noxime, a 12-hour acne medicine.
13:45It works two ways for good skin.
13:48Dana was also prospering in matters of the heart.
13:51In late 1982, she began dating an aspiring rock musician,
13:5620-year-old Lanny Lambert.
13:58He gave me guitar lessons, and little did I know,
14:01you know, that was just the thing to be near me
14:04or like to seduce me or whatever, I don't know.
14:06To her adoring public, Dana appeared to lead a charmed life.
14:10But in private, she was at war with herself.
14:14In addition to substance abuse, Dana developed serious eating disorders.
14:18She had an alcohol problem, she had a drug problem,
14:22she had a bulimic problem, and she had an anorexic problem.
14:25She had these four major diseases going on with herself.
14:29Like so many others who suffer eating disorders,
14:32Dana thought she was heavy and used drugs to lighten the load.
14:37Lanny Lambert's mother, Joni Richardson.
14:39One time, my sister, I watched her, and she took 60 laxatives in two nights.
14:47Despite her disturbing problems, Dana continued in her role as Kimberly Drummond.
14:51But in 1983, 19-year-old Dana faced another dilemma.
14:56She was pregnant by her boyfriend, Lanny.
14:58She said to me, guess what, Donnie, I'm going to have a baby.
15:02I said, what?
15:04She said, yes, isn't that wonderful?
15:06I said, is this what you want?
15:07And she said, oh, yes, oh, yes, I want it.
15:09I deliberately did that.
15:11I said, why would you want a baby now at your age and where we are in the series?
15:18And she said, well, don't you see, when I get the baby, I'll never be alone again.
15:23I won't be lonely anymore.
15:25NBC executives were less than thrilled with the news.
15:29They just walked in right after the show, I was changing my clothes to go home like any
15:32other Friday.
15:33And they said, oh, by the way, we're not having you back next season.
15:37In June 1984, Dana and Lanny decided to marry.
15:41They drove to Las Vegas, but there was little romance in the air.
15:45Do you know how embarrassing I was standing in, like, the downtown legal building where
15:49you get the paperwork?
15:50I'm pregnant out to here.
15:51I'm crying.
15:52You know, when we're signing papers and people are recognizing me.
15:55The newlyweds settled in Canoga Park, 20 miles north of Los Angeles.
16:00One month later, on July 2nd, 1984, Dana gave birth to a son, Tyler.
16:07But Dana's addictions made taking care of Tyler virtually impossible.
16:12I was drinking at night, you know, when he'd be asleep, but then I was waking up cranky.
16:16He wasn't getting what he needed from me.
16:18Neither was Dana's husband.
16:20In 1985, after only one year of marriage, Lanny decided to call it quits.
16:26He said, Mom, I just can't, I can't take it anymore.
16:30You know, it's just getting too much.
16:32I'm just going to take Tyler and leave.
16:34And that's exactly what he did.
16:35He took his car, his child, and his clothes and left.
16:39And so from that time on, she steadily went downhill.
16:43Lanny took Tyler to live with Joni in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
16:47So I drank, and I drank, and I set fires anywhere I could, you know.
16:55I made sure that anything that could possibly help me was so far away from me.
17:02For three years, she just more or less stayed intoxicated for at least three years.
17:09As Dana drowned her sorrows in a sea of booze, her career slipped into oblivion.
17:15That was so wasted that it would take me a good five days to sober up.
17:19I wasn't auditioning anymore because auditions would come.
17:22I'd have to stay sober all the time.
17:24You know, I couldn't wait for the call.
17:26Hell, you know, it's like, I'll take the drink and unplug the phone.
17:29In 1987, 23-year-old Dana was jolted back to reality when her mother's health deteriorated further.
17:37Kay Plato was losing her long battle with scleroderma.
17:40The way Kay had explained it to me, it was calcium deposits.
17:46And a calcium deposit would work into the joints.
17:49The skin would become like leather because of the lack of blood flow.
17:54And when this kind of happened, then gangrene had set in.
17:59That's why she had the removal of her foot and then her left leg.
18:03Dana could not cope with the thought of losing her mother.
18:06During a hospital visit, Dana lashed out.
18:09She swung around and she said, I wish you'd die.
18:14Why don't you just go now?
18:16She was desperate to get a drink and a fix.
18:19But it was the drug's talking.
18:23On January 2nd, 1988, Kay Plato passed away at age 49.
18:29Overcome with grief, Dana became hysterical at the funeral.
18:34Emotionally, she just apparently totally lost it and screamed out, it's happened, it's happened.
18:40Mother, why did you have to leave me at all?
18:42Why did this have to happen?
18:44Many times I heard Dana say that God forsaked her by taking her mother as early as she did.
18:51I had no clue how to deal with that.
18:54I never felt anything like that in my life.
18:56And then there was nobody.
18:57Absolutely nobody.
18:58Just 24 years old, Dana felt all alone in the world.
19:03Her only friend was a bottle of vodka.
19:06I needed to drink to get well 24-7.
19:08And when you get to that point, yeah, you're hoping, you're hoping that next one's going to kill you.
19:13You're going to get that other bottle because you want it to happen quicker.
19:16By 1989, former child star Dana Plato lost everything she held dear.
19:22Her mother passed away.
19:23Her husband left with their child.
19:26Her career was in shambles.
19:27And her personal life was consumed by drugs and alcohol.
19:32Plato was on the road to self-destruction.
19:34And she knew it.
19:35I was working, I was drinking, I was dying.
19:43At age 25, Plato took a gamble she hoped would pump life back into her career.
19:49Dana appeared in a June 1989 Playboy pictorial.
19:54But the provocative photos did nothing for her career or her image.
19:59Four months later, Dana and her husband Lanny Lambert, separated since 1985, began divorce proceedings.
20:06Dana agreed to give up custody of her five-year-old son, Tyler, mother-in-law, Joni Richardson.
20:12She felt that with Tyler, he was better off with his father.
20:16She got where she didn't have much patience.
20:18And, uh, she couldn't keep promises.
20:21Son, Tyler Lambert.
20:23She flaked out sometimes.
20:25Sometimes she'd just say she's gonna come and do something, but she just never came.
20:31Didn't show up.
20:33On March 12, 1990, the divorce became final and Dana decided to move to Las Vegas.
20:39With no cash and little hope, Plato was forced to take a job at a drive-thru cleaners.
20:45The pay?
20:46About 200 bucks a week.
20:48An astronomical drop from the $22,000 per week she earned on different strokes.
20:54But Dana's TV money was long gone.
20:57Still, she scrounged up enough cash to frequent a local bar called the Lakes Lounge.
21:02Friend and drug counselor, Ray Slaughter.
21:05She was pretty far gone.
21:06She was drinking almost a gallon of vodka and two six-packs a day at this time.
21:11As an alcoholic, you act out.
21:12I knew I was dying.
21:13I knew.
21:14My subconscious knew that if I didn't do something very, very drastic within a week or 10 days or 14
21:20days, I would be dead.
21:22Dana Plato did take some drastic action.
21:24On February 28, 1991, the desperate 26-year-old entered a Las Vegas video store at 10 a.m.
21:33Heather Daly was working as a sales clerk.
21:36She came into the store and walked right up to the counter.
21:38She had a black hat on, a black baseball jacket, and she acted as though she had a gun.
21:45And I literally said, just like we're sitting here right now, I said, give me all your money.
21:49Heather complied, and Dana fled with $164.
21:54I stood there in shock for about three minutes, and then I called 911, and I told them,
21:59they're off to Fred Stokes.
22:00Kimberly Drummond has robbed me.
22:02Within hours, Plato was arrested.
22:05Unable to make the $13,000 bail, she was locked up in the Clark County Detention Center.
22:10Five days later, a Las Vegas legend came to Dana's rescue.
22:14Out of the clear blue sky, Wayne Newton bailed me out.
22:18I had no clue.
22:19I didn't even expect to be seeing the light of day for a really long time.
22:22The fact that this was a kid who came up in show business, had spent her entire life
22:28in show business, and all of a sudden found herself on hard times, and there was no one
22:35there to help her.
22:35I felt so badly about that.
22:37So did the judge, who gave Dana a break at her sentencing on August 8, 1991.
22:44District Administrator for Probation, Amy Wright.
22:47She was given an underlying prison sentence of six years, which was suspended, and she
22:52was placed on probation for a period not to exceed five years.
22:56Continue in a psychiatric or controlled sustenance program, and she was to complete 200 to 400
23:04hours of community service.
23:0626-year-old Dana entered rehab.
23:08In November, soon after her release, the lonely young woman went in search of her birth mother.
23:14For so long, I wanted to find out where I came from and who I was, because I was just
23:21so lost.
23:22With the help of an investigation agency, Dana found her mother, Linda Strain, in Springfield,
23:28Missouri.
23:28The dramatic reunion on December 2, 1991, was captured by television cameras.
23:40From the moment I saw her face, nothing else mattered.
23:44I've got mascara all over me.
23:46I can't stop crying.
23:49I can't stop thanking God for how lucky I am.
23:52It meant a lot to me.
23:53I'll tell you right now, I don't feel empty anymore.
23:56I don't feel lost.
23:58I feel like I belong somewhere.
24:00But the feeling was only temporary.
24:02The judge sent me to a psychiatrist.
24:05He had to prescribe me Valium, which made it very easy not to drink, because that's what
24:09they bring you down with.
24:10In early January 1992, only two months after her tearful reunion, Dana found herself drifting
24:16into dangerous waters again.
24:18On her visit back to her mother-in-law's place, she found a prescription pad, came back to
24:24Las Vegas, and wrote herself a prescription for 100 Valiums with 10 refills.
24:28It's no doctor would ever do.
24:29Dana realized the scam was ill-conceived, and on January 21st, she turned herself in.
24:35Plato had violated probation, and jail time seemed imminent.
24:39But the judge surprised everyone in the courtroom.
24:42He ordered Dana to continue probation.
24:45Once again, Plato dodged a bullet.
24:48By 1992, actress Dana Plato's life was reduced to a series of missteps and misadventures fueled
24:55by drugs and alcohol.
24:57She drifted in and out of rehab and was arrested twice in 11 months.
25:02The 27-year-old was becoming better known for her tabloid headlines than her acting roles.
25:07She began to feel like a circus sideshow freak.
25:16In February of 1992, after twice avoiding a long prison sentence, Dana Plato tried one
25:24more time to clean up her act.
25:26For a while, Dana rallied and took a shot at making a comeback.
25:30In April 1992, Dana landed a role as a Las Vegas showgirl in tropical heat at the Rio Hotel.
25:39But Dana's stint in Sin City was short-lived.
25:42After only four months, Plato was fired from the show because of poor attendance.
25:48Of course, Dana turned that all around, and, well, it wasn't, you know, it wasn't her fault.
25:52It was somebody else's fault.
25:54Dana returned to drinking and popping pills.
25:57But true to form, she was in denial about her addictions.
26:01Half-brother Darren Strain.
26:03She was taking two very powerful prescription drugs.
26:06And in her mind, she was clean because she wasn't using illegal drugs, even though she got
26:14those in a legal way.
26:15Despite her setback, Dana tried to find work, but the going was tough.
26:21She couldn't get a real job in a real film.
26:26Couldn't get a guest-starring role on TV.
26:30In the fall of 1992, 28-year-old Dana finally got a break.
26:35She appeared in two low-budget features, Sounds of Silence.
26:44And Bikini Beach Race.
26:46What's this?
26:46You are definitely the strangest guy I've ever met.
26:50Unlike the character in Different Strokes that made Dana famous, there was nothing innocent
26:56about the movie roles.
26:57She had to take some of the jobs that were available to her.
27:01The first thing she'd tell you is, I don't care, I'll take my clothes off, it's the right
27:06role.
27:06Dana then tried something different, playing an undercover agent in the Sega CD-ROM game
27:13Night Trap.
27:14The ultra-violent game became a lightning rod for controversy, and a catalyst for the video
27:20game rating system.
27:21In January of 1993, Dana ventured back into television, appearing in My Little Aliens.
27:29If you guys are from Mars, then I'm from Phoenix.
27:32The TV pilot centered around Martians who crash land on Earth.
27:37The pilot was never picked up.
27:39In December 1993, Dana moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be near her seven-year-old son, Tyler.
27:46Dana hoped to find a way back into his life.
27:49I wanted to be on his turf.
27:50I wanted him to be comfortable.
27:52The last thing I wanted to do was uproot him again when he's going to have to get used
27:55to me.
27:56Well, but Tyler struggled over embracing a woman who was a virtual stranger.
28:01There were times I heard Tyler say to her, I may have been born to you, but you're not
28:07my mother.
28:08Disheartened, 28-year-old Dana returned to the only things she knew, booze and acting.
28:15Over the next few years, she landed several low-budget gigs that ranged from racy to ridiculous.
28:23Ironically, several projects even mirrored Plato's own troubled lover.
28:31Then, in 1997, 33-year-old Dana was cast as a lesbian lover in the adult film Different Strokes,
28:39the story of Jack and Jill and Jill.
28:41I'm thinking, okay, this is cool, you know, this is going to be fun.
28:44These people are, like, totally going to get off on this one.
28:47And then, it turned out that I had this love scene with a woman where her nipples touched,
28:51and now it's x-rayed.
28:53I'm in a porno.
28:54After appearing in the softcore porn Different Strokes, the story of Jack and Jill and Jill,
29:01Dana Plato's attempt at a comeback fell flat.
29:04Her career at a dead end and with a ravenous drug habit to feed, Dana relied on her wits
29:09and a whole lot of deception.
29:11Dana was, uh, well, maybe not a great actress.
29:15She knew how to manipulate.
29:17In February 1998, Los Angeles flight attendant Peter Basile fell under Dana's spell.
29:24She had this vulnerability.
29:26She had a sensitive side, but you could see all of the pain, too.
29:30And you just wanted to protect her from everything that had happened to her.
29:34Dana and Peter began a romantic relationship that led to sex and, to Peter's surprise, sexual experimentation.
29:42She was very free and open with her sexuality.
29:45She was very uninhibited.
29:46She actually asked me if it would be a problem to bring another woman into the bedroom eventually.
29:52Among the women who shared Dana's bed was Hollywood stagehand Jennifer Weeby.
29:58But Jennifer also shared Dana's passion for drugs.
30:02It was out of control.
30:03I'm not innocent, you know.
30:05We both partied before, but she was more so by far out of control than myself.
30:14Dana concealed her addictions from Peter Basile.
30:16And on May 25th, 1998, Plato asked Peter to marry her.
30:22He said yes.
30:24Unbeknownst to Peter, Dana started a third relationship in May with Tucson filmmaker Fred Potts.
30:31Everything happened really fast, faster than what I expected.
30:35And I was in awe.
30:37You know, I used to watch this girl on TV.
30:39And I was like, oh, what a cute girl.
30:41And now, here we are dating.
30:42On June 5th, 1998, Dana also became engaged to Fred.
30:48I don't think she liked men at all.
30:50I think men are easier to use than women are.
30:55She used lots and lots of people.
30:57Dana was juggling two fiancés and a female lover,
31:01all the while concocting outrageous stories to get her hands on some cash.
31:06She said, honey, I need to go down for a transfusion at the hospital.
31:10I said, for what?
31:11And she said, I didn't want to tell you this, honey, but I have cancer.
31:14She said, I have to go for chemo.
31:16And I said, who goes for chemo at 1130 at night?
31:19Fed up with Dana's dishonesty,
31:22Peter Basile broke off their engagement at the end of July.
31:25A few weeks later, Fred Potts did the same.
31:29Then, shortly after Dana's 34th birthday in November 1998,
31:35Plato's girlfriend, Jennifer Wiebe, suggested they go to rehab.
31:39She totally snapped, you know, and she just ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off,
31:45got her things and left.
31:47Dana became even more desperate for drug money.
31:50But her few remaining friends grew weary of her demands.
31:55By the end of 1998, the well had run dry.
31:58Dana was living hand-to-mouth in seedy Los Angeles motels.
32:02She would just talk about the craziest things like,
32:06Oh, Joey, I don't even care whether I live anymore.
32:08I've had it, and I'm in so much pain, I could care less.
32:12Then, in January 1999, 34-year-old Dana received money from a trust fund.
32:19Plato purchased a motor home and hit the road.
32:22First stop, Tulsa, to visit her 14-year-old son, Tyler.
32:26There, Plato met 28-year-old Robert Menchaca from nearby Moore, Oklahoma.
32:32The two became an item, then set off on a three-month road trip in Dana's Winnebago.
32:37But the desire for the spotlight pulled at Plato once more.
32:41In April, Dana received a call from Shane Bugbee,
32:44an underground Chicago publisher and concert promoter.
32:48Contacted her about doing this rock concert,
32:50emceeing this rock concert and working on a book with me.
32:52Dana accepted, so Bugbee arranged for her to travel to New York
32:57to promote the concert on Howard Stern's national radio show.
33:01That's the crowd I was marketing after,
33:03and that's the crowd I thought really would embrace her.
33:05They didn't.
33:06During Dana's May 7th appearance on Stern's show,
33:10callers mocked Plato as a has-been, a drug addict, and a mental case.
33:15Dana was reduced to tears.
33:17The next day, Dana returned to Oklahoma,
33:20where she joined Menchaca at his parents' house.
33:23Exhausted from her trip,
33:25Dana retreated to her motorhome to take a nap.
33:27At 9 o'clock that evening, Robert tried to rouse Dana,
33:31but Dana would not wake up.
33:33Robert called 911.
33:36Okay, what's the problem?
33:37I'm at my mom and dad's house.
33:39I'm nodding him while she's not breathing.
33:42It's Dana Plato.
33:45Please send somebody here now.
33:47We're going to get him started that way.
33:50We're trying CPR.
33:51We're not getting anything.
33:52We're not getting a pulse.
33:53We're not getting nothing.
33:54How long has it been since you found her this way?
33:56Yeah, I've been trying to get her up for at least 10 minutes.
34:01I just thought she was tired from the flight.
34:05Come on, Dana.
34:08Come on, Dana.
34:11Dana, come on.
34:12Within five minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene,
34:16and resuscitation efforts continued.
34:19Moore Police Sergeant Scott Singer.
34:21She was transported to Southwest Medical Center in Oklahoma City,
34:25and after being transported, she was pronounced dead.
34:30As night time fell on May 8, 1999,
34:34Dana's family members in Tulsa grew concerned over her whereabouts.
34:38Mother's Day was the next day,
34:40and Tyler was waiting to have a phone call
34:43because we knew she had returned back to Oklahoma City.
34:47Late that evening, Dana's son, Tyler,
34:50contacted Robert Menchaca in Moore, Oklahoma.
34:54Menchaca broke the tragic news.
34:56I called, and he said that she had passed away.
35:00My grandson and I both were just absolutely devastated.
35:07The news of Dana's death spread quickly.
35:10We were crushed by it.
35:11We knew that she had problems,
35:13but we always thought that Dana somehow would come out of it.
35:17The next day, the Oklahoma City medical examiner
35:20concluded that Dana died of an accidental overdose
35:23of the muscle relaxant Soma and the painkiller Lortab.
35:27In death, as in life,
35:29the name Dana Plato was mired in controversy and scandal.
35:33While officers were investigating the actual death scene itself,
35:37the Winnebago,
35:38the officers discovered a digital camera.
35:42We observed that the disc that was inside the camera
35:46had several pictures on it.
35:48It appeared that Dana Plato was near death in those pictures.
35:54Police questioned Robert Menchaca,
35:56who claimed to be Plato's fiancé and manager.
36:00Menchaca admitted to taking the photos.
36:02His description of Dana at that point
36:05was that she appeared to be sweaty,
36:08shaking, and making a funny snoring sound.
36:11He states that he took the pictures,
36:13even though there's no sound on the pictures,
36:15that he took the pictures
36:16as a means of having a record of her snoring
36:21and then was going to joke with her later about those.
36:25But the snoring sound that Menchaca heard
36:28was actually Plato's lungs,
36:30filling with fluid as she neared death.
36:33Police did not charge Menchaca
36:35in connection with Dana's death.
36:38Two days later,
36:39on May 11, 1999,
36:42Menchaca showed up unannounced
36:43at Dana's wake.
36:45I don't like him.
36:46He's not a nice person.
36:48He'll bring a video camera
36:50into the funeral home.
36:52Robert was intending on videotaping her
36:54while she lay in state or in her casket.
36:57It was our understanding
36:58that Robert had been offered
37:00as much as $5,000 a piece
37:02for photographs or for videotape
37:05of Dana
37:06as she lay in state or dead.
37:09While Menchaca did not respond
37:11to the allegations,
37:12he justified his actions
37:14in an interview for the book
37:15Dana Plato's Last Breath
37:17by Shane Bugbee.
37:19He would say,
37:19anyone who thinks I'm sick
37:21for taking pictures of her
37:22is sick themselves.
37:23I wasn't taking pictures of a dead body.
37:25I was taking pictures of my fiancé.
37:27Dana's family was outraged
37:29by Menchaca's explanation.
37:31You have somebody
37:32taking photographs
37:33of my baby dying.
37:36He's busted with a video
37:39at the funeral home.
37:41Oh, hell,
37:42we got a problem
37:42with this situation.
37:44Plato's grieving loved ones
37:46were further shocked
37:47on May 21st
37:48when an amendment
37:49was added to the autopsy report.
37:51The cause of death
37:52was changed to suicide
37:54from an accidental overdose
37:55because it was self-ingested
37:57and the state of Oklahoma
38:00believes that if a person
38:02takes an extremely large number
38:04of pills,
38:06a person of reasonable intelligence
38:08will know
38:08that that is a deadly combination
38:10and could be potentially fatal.
38:13The medical examiner
38:14also cited scars
38:15on Dana's wrist,
38:17an indication that Plato
38:18had a history
38:19of suicidal tendencies.
38:20Do I think it was suicide?
38:24Yeah, I do.
38:26Do I wish it wasn't?
38:28Yeah, I wish it was.
38:29And I wish she was still here.
38:30A lot of people will miss her.
38:32She was special
38:34to those who loved her
38:36and wanted to be around her.
38:38I can't tell you
38:39that Dana was perfect.
38:40If Dana was perfect,
38:41she'd be here today.
38:43But Dana was no devil.
38:44Dana was warm,
38:46considerate,
38:47fun-loving,
38:50life-adoring,
38:52a very dear friend.
38:54Dana Plato,
38:56trapped in a drama
38:57of her own creation,
38:58lived and eventually died,
39:00battling an enemy
39:01with no soul.
39:03Drugs.
39:04She left behind
39:05grieving family and friends.
39:07But Dana also left a legacy,
39:09her handsome son, Tyler,
39:11who will forever cherish
39:12those precious moments
39:13when life with mom was good.
39:16I can't cry,
39:18I can't cry,
39:28I can't cry,
39:30I can't cry,
39:31I can't cry,
39:31I can't cry,
39:31baby,
39:32good luck.
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