need to know
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A lawyer died after falling asleep on his mother’s shoulder during a flight in 2025, a UK inquest heard
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Rachel Green, 44, had multiple prescription drugs in her system and suffered from an undiagnosed heart condition, which is believed to have contributed to her death
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Green’s sister says her brother has had “abnormal” heart tests in the past but “was never referred to a cardiologist”
A lawyer has died after falling asleep on his mother’s shoulder on a flight to the UK, according to reports.
According to SWNS, 44-year-old Rachel Green was flying from Minneapolis, Minnesota to London on April 30, 2025, when she became unresponsive on the plane.
Greene reportedly fell asleep on her mother’s shoulder during the flight, which lasted more than seven hours, but the crew was unable to wake her.
An inquest at West London Coroner’s Court heard that Green had large amounts of prescription drugs in his system when he died, SWNS reported. She was also found to have an undiagnosed heart condition.
The inquest heard that a combination of medication and heart disease likely contributed to Green’s death.
Senior coroner Lydia Brown said there was “no evidence to suggest Rachel had any chance of resuscitation,” adding that her death “appeared to be instantaneous,” SWNS reported.
Roxanne Carney said her sister “spent the past few years recovering from an unexpected illness, learning to walk again and having to move back to her hometown in Minnesota to recuperate,” according to a statement shared on a GoFundMe created after Greene’s death.
Carney also claimed Greene had had “abnormal” heart tests in the past, but suggested her sister “was never referred to a cardiologist” before taking certain medications, SWNS reported.
However, Brown said there was “no evidence” that Green “overdosed” on any drugs. She also said there was “no evidence” Green used drugs recreationally.
Carney said in a statement that Green was on her way to London to do research for a historical novel she is writing about Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former queen of France and England.
Now, Carney hopes to finish the book in her sister’s name, SWNS reports.
Carney said in a statement that Green “exuded unyielding strength and courage even in the most difficult of times,” calling her a “saint” and “the best aunt in the world.”
“We feel the greatest loss as we piece together a life where she is not here but will always be with us,” Green’s sister said.
She later added, “Rachel was very selfless, always looking out for everyone around her and trying to guide people to the good things in life, whether it was traveling, playing or partying.”
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As of Wednesday, Jan. 28, a GoFundMe launched after Greene’s death had raised more than $5,000.
Funds donated from the online fundraiser will go to the Lakeshore Players Theater in Minnesota (where Green recently “revisited her love of theater”) and to a memorial to Green at Golders Green Crematorium in London.
Read the original article on People
