Autopsy on Iijima not conclusive

Former TV celebrity Ai Iijima had been dead about a week before her body was found Wednesday at her apartment in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, police sources said Thursday.

Ai Iijima

An autopsy conducted Thursday, however, has failed to reveal the cause of death, the sources said, and no suicide note has been found.

Several kinds of medicine, including the sleeping drug Halcion and cold medicine, were found in her apartment, but all were prescribed by a doctor, the sources said.

Iijima, whose real name was Matsue Okubo, 36, grew popular in the 1990s as a variety show host after getting her start in the porn industry.

In 2006, she announced that her health had deteriorated because of kidney disease and other problems. She retired in March last year.

"She was a wonderful lady. Her life was 36 years, but I think she lived a life far more eventful than that of ordinary people," said Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto, who appeared on TV with Iijima many times before becoming governor in February. Hashimoto was a popular commentator on legal affairs.

"(Her death) is really regrettable," he said.