Young heiress may have been dead for several days

Casey Johnson, the hard-living, 30-year-old heiress to the Johnson and Johnson company empire, has been found dead in Los Angeles.

NEW YORK, January 6, 2010 (AFP) - Casey Johnson, the hard-living, 30-year-old heiress to the Johnson and Johnson company empire, has been found dead in Los Angeles, a family spokesman said Tuesday.

"The Johnson family is mourning its tragic loss and asks for privacy during this very difficult time," the spokesman, Jesse Derris, told AFP.

Johnson, whose drinking binges and rows with her lesbian lovers made her a regular in the tabloid pages, was found dead Monday, TMZ and other celebrity news sites said. No cause of death has been declared.

TMZ quoted a law enforcement source saying that she may have been dead for several days before her body was discovered.

Johnson was part of the family behind the huge Johnson and Johnson hygiene products and pharmaceutical business. Her father, Woody Johnson, owns the New York Jets football team and had just been celebrating progression on Sunday into the NFL playoffs tournament.

Derris said Casey Johnson's body would be "flown back east to her final resting place. There will be a private funeral service later this week for the immediate family."

Johnson reportedly had a troubled relationship with her father and suffered from diabetes. Her love life frequently involved public disputes with girlfriends, including Courtenay Semel, daughter of former Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel, according to the New York Post.

Her most recent relationship was with fellow TV reality show star Tila Tequila. The Post reported that Tequila sent a tweet reading: "Everyone please pray 4 my Wifey Casey Johnson. She has passed away."

The family called for donations in her memory to the Casey Johnson Memorial at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.

"Casey struggled throughout her life fighting this disease, and she would want to see all of us continue that fight on her behalf," Derris said on behalf of the family.