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Gerry Ryan's wife and kids may lose their home over his drug use

DARA KELLY,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 4:39 AM

Updated Thursday, December 16, 2010, 2:17 PM

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Gerry Ryan presenting his chat show on RTE

A possible 'death by misadventure' verdict could see the wife and children of late Irish broadcaster Gerry Ryan evicted from their family home.

Following the findings of Friday’s inquest into radio star's death - which discovered traces of cocaine in the late broadcaster’s body - the situation for his wife and children has darkened.

Ryan and his wife Morah reportedly mortgaged their five-bedroom home in Dublin on a number of occasions prior to their separation, with Ryan's income and mortgage repayments guaranteed by his life assurance scheme.

But now Ryan’s life assurance policy could refuse to cover his mortgage given the 'death by misadventure' verdict reached by Friday’s inquest.

If the mortgage is no loner covered it's believed that Morah and the couple’s five children will have no option but to leave the house.

The Irish press reported that Ryan’s colleagues were aware of his regular cocaine use, including the times when he had taken the drug at work, claiming he needed it to help him through his nationally broadcast morning radio show.

Meanwhile the press is claiming that Melanie Verwoerd, Ryan’s partner at the time of his death, was completely unaware of his drug use.

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BARNEYKX | Jan 03, 2011, 05:28 PM EST

How could he do a thing like this with the type of wages he was earning half a million euro a year,and they had to remortgage the family home a number of times,did his wife not question where all this money was going,living excessively wining dineing out,cocaine ,he must never have thought of anyone but himself,jack the lad treating all and sundry,now his family may be in difficulties because of his excesses

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kateomprint | Jan 02, 2011, 06:05 PM EST

How many people in Ireland are going to lose their homes without every snorting anything up their noses. I can't understand why people are trying to make Gerry out to be some kind of saint. He was simply a cokehead.

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sirpeter | Dec 15, 2010, 01:41 PM EST

Creakinggate..Did you pick up that stupidity in England.Any fool knows drugs like Cocaine impair performance if taken regularly.As any artist knows they would have been EVEN more successful if they didn't take drugs.It is extremely unlikely his life assurance scheme will be invalid.They would have to prove he was addicted to Cocaine first,then they would have to prove the drug killed him.Both are an almost impossible task to prove.The fact they found cocaine in his system is not proof it killed him.A judge won't let insurance companies off that easy,other wise they wouldn't pay up if a person died with alcohol in his system as it could be a possible 'death by misadventure with alcohol.Be very surprised if a judge would go along with that.If you pay the money to your insurance company,they almost always have to pay up.

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Towngate | Dec 15, 2010, 12:01 PM EST

If illegal drugs enhanced his performance,and led to his wealth, then all his possessions,like any criminal, should be forfeit to the State. If his colleagues colluded with him by their silence, the same goes for them!

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Dublinjas | Dec 14, 2010, 02:40 PM EST

In other words he was a big useless bollix, What else are people trying to make out of this tragic figure ? Also tens of thousands of Non Cocaine using hard working people are about to lose their homes, Why should the Ryan family be immune to this suffering.

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hollabackgurl | Dec 14, 2010, 10:23 AM EST

Sure isn't our very own Rush Limbaugh an avowed drug addict? Wasn't Glenn Beck an alcoholic before he started his dry drunk, paranoi Fox show? It seems these big media types need to fool themselves before they fool others.

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antoman | Dec 14, 2010, 08:38 AM EST

You need to be well off to be taking cocaine,its synominous with wealth and good times.It won't surprise you to learn that the use of heroin has increased dramatically.A cheap drug associated with hard times.

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paricaliswishes | Dec 14, 2010, 05:47 AM EST

We've never been serious enough about the drug problem the loud lefties always started shoutin'about deprived this n that and the furore drowned out the voices of those who might have made progress,The entertainment business has always supported bad behaviour very coyly.Ryan was his own victim hung on his own rope.

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