Nancy Motes

Julia Roberts' half-sister Nancy Motes died on Sunday in Los Angeles.

On Monday, her family confirmed to People the 37-year-old had passed away in what appears to be an overdose.

'It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes ... confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose,' the statement read. 'There is no official report from the Coroner's office yet. The family is both shocked and devastated.'

She was discovered in the bathroom of her home by her fiancé John Dilbeck and pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m., a spokesman for the Los Angeles Coroner's Office told MailOnline.

She is currently undergoing an autopsy to determine cause of death. Toxicology results will likely take 6-8 weeks to get back. 

Julia's rep did not return calls to MailOnline.

Nancy was an aspiring actress who had worked as a production assistant on TV's Glee.

Julia and Nancy had the same mother, Betty Lou, but different fathers: Nancy's dad was Michael Motes and Julia's is the late Walter Grady Roberts.

In August the blonde had complained about growing up in the shadow of the Pretty Woman star, who has been working the awards circuit this year for her turn in August: Osage County with Meryl Streep.   

The younger sibling had said she was known as Julia's 'fat little sister' and said the Oscar-winner had taunted her about her weight, leading her to undergo weight loss surgery in June 2012.

Roberts, 46, made her feel embarrassed and ashamed of her weight, according to Nancy, which peaked at 20st.

She resorted to a £20,000 gastric bypass operation last year.

'It makes me feel incredibly hurt and very sad,' Motes said. 'When you're in a family of very, very exceptionally beautiful people it's intimidating.'

Her other siblings include Eric Roberts, 57, and Lisa Roberts Gillan, 48, who are also actors. 

Actress Emma Roberts is the daughter of Eric.

'I think that growing up as Pretty Woman's little sister has definitely made me try to see the person inside and not the person outside,' she added. 'A lot of my life I felt judged for my weight.'

Motes, who grew up in the US state of Georgia, was only 13 when Roberts shot to Hollywood fame as hooker Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman.

The actress, who had won a Golden Globe for playing a young bride in Steel Magnolias, received a second for Pretty Woman. 

Motes, who described herself as an 'awkward' child who was bullied at school, could not compete with the success of her 'very pretty and very popular' sister.

She said: 'When I was in high school and she was an adult, she would just let me know that I was definitely overweight. She would make it quite clear to me and in a not so nice manner.

'Julia did not want to see me go down that path [of acting] … So I just got a lot of criticism from Julia, which was very discouraging for me.'

After graduating from high school in 1995, Motes auditioned for roles in Hollywood while working as a waitress. But she could not afford to continue so returned to Georgia.

Three years ago Nancy moved back to Los Angeles, after meeting her fiancé John Dilbeck. But she claimed Roberts started taunting her about her weight again days after she arrived.

With her weight soaring, she finally decided to have a gastric bypass fitted.

Motes said she could not afford the £20,000 fee, but rather than ask Roberts, who is worth £90million, for financial help, she took out a loan.

She had lost 7st since the operation last June and had planned on marrying in May.

However, RadarOnline reported last year that Julia planned to boycott the nuptials because she didn't like the groom and didn't want to get stuck paying for the wedding.

'Julia doesn't think much of Nancy's husband-to-be,' the website quoted an insider as saying. 'She's convinced he's sponging off Nancy, who doesn't have much money in the first place.'

At the time of her death, it was not known if she had mended her relationship with Julia.

She said last year: 'It's a work in progress, it's not going to be fixed overnight, nor do I think it's going to be fixed by me just getting skinny.'

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556109/Julia-Roberts-half-sister-Nancy-Motes-37-dies-apparent-drug-overdose-one-year-getting-gastric-bypass-surgery.html#ixzz2t33Y89Sq  Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

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Julia Roberts' sister's bitter suicide note revealed

• Julia Roberts' sister Nancy Motes committed suicide on February 9. She was 37 years old
• In her suicide note to her fiance John Dilbeck, she places the blame for her depression squarely on the shoulders of her superstar step-sister
• 'I have suffered thru this disease all my life,' she wrote, 'however It has never been this bad'
• The letter has three sections; one addressed to John, another to her mother Betty and Roberts, and a third addressed to ‘everyone’

Julia Roberts’ half sister claimed in her suicide note that the actress was so cruel that she ‘drove me into the deepest depression I’ve ever been in’.

MailOnline can reveal that in her final words Nancy Motes described the Oscar-winning star as a 'so-called sibling' who should get nothing if she died - except the memory that she pushed her over the edge.

In the emotional, handwritten note, Nancy said that Roberts’ abuse had been so bad that ‘I burst into tears because I wake up’.

Nancy died of a drug overdose overdose on February 9  at the age of 37. Her death was ruled a suicide.

The former production assistant on the TV show Glee drowned in a bath surrounded by a mixture of nonprescription and prescription pills, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner.

Her fiance John Dilbeck and his family are now engaged in a bitter legal battle with Pretty Woman star Roberts and her mother Betty for control of Nancy's estate.

John and his brother Conner say the fight is the latest example of how Roberts tried to manipulate Nancy’s life and control everything.

 

 

At the center of the row is a suicide note which was found at the scene of Nancy’s death - which can now be revealed for the first time.

In the note Nancy begins by saying that ‘if anything happens to me’ then John gets ‘whatever he wants of my possessions’ including their dog Lucy.

She writes: ‘My mother and so-called ‘siblings’ get nothing except the memory that they are the ones that drove me into the deepest depression I’ve ever been in.

I have suffered thru this disease all my life, however It has never been this bad.

‘I burst into tears every morning b/c (because) I woke up.’

The note was filed court papers in relation to probate of Nancy’s estate.

It has three sections; one addressed to John, another to her mother Betty and Roberts, and a third addressed to ‘everyone’.

However under California law the Los Angeles County Coroner is only obliged to give the pages to the person to whom they are addressed.

Betty and Roberts, 46, have not added their letters to the court file, so they remain private.

In the section of the note addressed to John, which is in the file, Nancy praises him as her ‘one true love’ and tells him she is unworthy of his affections.

She begs his forgiveness and says she is ‘nothing but a junky’ - who will be ‘better off w/out (without) me’.

Nancy writes: ‘I know this will effect you the most and & I can’t apologize enough. 

‘I was truly blessed & lucky to have you as my true love and best friend. I will carry you with me forever.’

Her final words are: ‘And I am so sorry’. 

The suicide note reflects the ill feeling that Nancy had towards Roberts which she expressed in a number of Tweets before she died.

In one she said: ‘Just so you all know, America’s Sweetheart is a b*****’

Another read: ‘Do you want to be a fan of someone so cruel? She’s not even that good of an actress. Happy you totally f***** me’.

A third angry Tweet read: ‘(M)y own family has abandoned me’.

Motes, originally from Georgia, was the daughter of Roberts’ mother, Betty, 79, and her former stepfather, Michael Motes, 69.

Last month Roberts and Betty both attended the service to bury Nancy in Smyrna, Georgia.

Reports of what happened are contradictory, with one magazine reporting that Roberts was ‘very polite and kind’ during the ceremony, which was attended by family and friends.

However RadarOnline reported that mourners were stunned by her ‘bizarre eulogy’.

Roberts supposedly said: ‘ Nancy’s...Gone and not coming back’, according to a source.

The source added: ‘Julia said that, as her sister, she just wanted to ‘wring’ her neck because she didn’t wait to see the joy that comes with the morning.’

Nancy’s relationship with her mother and Roberts had long been rocky but fell apart last year after she sold a story to a newspaper about how her famous sister used to tease her about her weight.

According to RadarOnline, texts apparently sent between Roberts and Nancy in November of  last year relating to their mother’s breast cancer battle underscore just how bad things had become.

One from Roberts reads: ‘If you plan on seeing Mom in the next 2 weeks you should go in the next hour. Thanks.’

Nancy replied: ‘We’re heading to see her now. Thanks’.

In a cold reply, Roberts wrote: ‘Please be gone by 3:30.’

Just over a week later things became tense when Roberts sent her a message trying to take control of when Nancy would visit.

Her message read: ‘We will text you when Mom’s surgery is scheduled’.

Nancy replied: ‘Mom asked me to come to the hospital. I’m coming.’

But Roberts insisted: ‘She is asleep. She has to get an x ray and isn’t even admitted to the hospital yet. She is only allowed 1 person with her.’

The texts were from a preview of a documentary called Now That I Have Your Attention, which is about Nancy’s video diaries.

It was uploaded to YouTube but has now been taken down.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2675666/EXCLUSIVE-Suicide-note-Julia-Roberts-sister-revealed-My-called-siblings-except-memory-ones-drove-deepest-depression-Ive-in.html#ixzz3SMuLsmVl