Coroner Rules Don Cornelius' Death Was a Suicide

The Los Angeles County Department of Coroner has ruled that Don Cornelius' death was a suicide.

The Los Angeles County Department of Coroner conducted an autopsy on the body of Donald Cortez Cornelius, age 75, on February 3rd, 2012, Craig R. Harvey, the department's chief coroner investigator and chief of operations, wrote in a Tuesday e-mail.

Harvey said that the department has ruled that the Soul Train creator died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Toxicology testing has been ordered, according to the e-mail, but the results are not yet available.

The final coroner report will be released once toxicology testing has been completed, according to Harvey.

Don Cornelius was found dead in his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home last Wednesday morning.

Police found his body at 4 a.m. PST with a gunshot wound to the head that officials immediately suspected was self-inflicted.

Don Cornelius' body was then transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

It is not definitively known why Cornelius would have wanted to kill himself, but he had undergone a difficult divorce and was said to have been in failing health in recent years,according to the New York Times.