Tragedy for 'cursed' Macaulay Culkin as his sister is killed after being struck by a car in LA

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated:


Grieving: Macaulay Culkin, whose sister Dakota died this week, pictured in June

Grieving: Macaulay Culkin

Macaulay Culkin's older sister Dakota has been killed after she stepped in front of a car in west Los Angeles.

A spokesman for the LAPD confirmed Dakota Culkin died yesterday in hospital after suffering massive head injuries in the accident on Tuesday night.

'She was taken to UCLA hospital with massive head trauma and passed away on Dec. 10th at 12:45 PM,' the LAPD said in a statement.

'The driver stopped, rendered aid, and identified himself as required by law. Detectives have determined that the driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, so no crime was committed.'

In a statement to reporters, Macaulay Culkin's spokeswoman, Michelle Bega, called Dakota's death a 'terrible tragic accident' and said the family had no further comment.

The tragedy comes eight years after the actor's half sister, Jennifer Adamson, died from a drug overdose.

Dakota was hit outside an Irish bar on Lincoln Boulevard, it was reported.

French said there was no active criminal investigation into Dakota's death. He said the driver stopped and tried to help the 29-year-old.

Officers determined the motorist was not driving drunk and had followed all laws.

Macaulay Culkin, 28, is best known as the star of the 1990s 'Home Alone' movies.

He was the decade's biggest child star, commanding £4 million a film by the time he starred in 1994's 'Richie Rich.'

But Culkin's career came to a sudden halt when his parents, Kit (who was also his manager) and Patricia, began fighting over control of his personal fortune.

Enlarge   Accident scene: The Brennans bar on Lincoln Boulevard, LA, which Dakota Culkin, the sister of actor Macauley was leaving on Tuesday when she was struck by a vehicle.

Accident scene: The Brennans bar on Lincoln Boulevard, LA, which Dakota Culkin, the sister of actor Macauley was leaving on Tuesday when she was struck by a vehicle, causing fatal injuries

By the mid-1990s Culkin was estimated to be worth between £9 million and £25 million.

His fortune quickly drained away, mostly on lawyers fees. Culkin handed over control of his assets to his accountant by 1997.

Kit gave up the fight after Manhattan Supreme Court Justice David Saxe said the Home Alone star and his actor siblings insisted they would 'not work with Mr Culkin' .

Enlarge   Happier times: Macaulay Culkin with his sister Dakota, far right, and mother Pat, father Kit, and siblings Keiren, Christian, Shane and Gwen at the premiere of Home Alone

Happier times: Macaulay Culkin with his sister Dakota, far right, and mother Pat, father Kit, and siblings Kieran, Christian, Shane and Gwen at the premiere of Home Alone

The child star's legal troubles ended, and so did the spate of bad press surrounding his family.

But it picked up again in 1998, when a fire in Patricia Culkin's New York apartment resulted in the deaths of four people in the building.

By the end of the '90s, Macaulay's fortune had mostly drained away.

He was next in the news in 2005, when Michael Jackson claimed in the infamous Martin Bashir documentary that 'many' children, including Macaulay, had slept in his bed.

Macaulay was later to testify in defence of his childhood friend, and Jackson was later cleared of charges of molesting a minor.

Macaulay Culkin

Child star: Macaulay was shot to stardom in Home Alone, aged te

Macaulay's early fame soon faded and he has since kept a low profile, save publishing a semi-autobiographical novel, Junior, in 2006.

He is due to star in the upcoming NBC drama Kings.

Five of Macaulay's siblings - Shane, Keiran, Quinn, Christian and Rory - also tried their hands in Hollywood - Dakota was the sole Culkin sibling who stayed out of the spotlight.

Childhood friend: A young Macaulay with Michael Jackson - the child star was later to testify in defence of the singer when he was charged with abusing a child

Childhood friend: A young Macaulay with Michael Jackson - the child star was later to testify in defence of the singer when he was charged with abusing a child


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