Foul play not suspected in Getty heir's death: official

LOS ANGELES - Andrew Getty, the heir to the Getty oil fortune who died at the age of 47 in his Los Angeles mansion, had a serious illness, court documents showed Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said natural causes or an accident were the likely cause of death, though a full autopsy would take as long as six weeks while authorities await toxicology results.

The deceased was a grandson of Getty Oil founder J. Paul Getty (1892-1976), who used his wealth to become one of the biggest art collectors of his era.

Andrew Getty was a member of the Getty trust and one of seven heirs to the US$2.1 billion (S$2.8 billion) that the magazine Forbes says his family is worth.

His parents, Ann and Gordon, asked for privacy, according to a statement published in the Los Angeles Times.

Andrew Getty had not been feeling well for months and had planned to see a doctor on Wednesday, Winter said.

Getty was found naked from the waist down in the bathroom of his estate Tuesday. He seemed to have suffered from some type of blunt-force trauma, the LA Times said, quoting a law enforcement source.

He had sought and won a protection order against his girlfriend Lanessa Grace DeJonge, court documents say.

"In the fall of 2013, I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition," the deceased had said in his request.

"A rise in my blood pressure places me in grave risk of substantial and irreparable injury or death.

"My doctors have advised that heated arguments can cause my blood pressure to rise dangerously.

"Lanessa DeJonge is aware of my medical condition and she has exploited this information to demand money and property from me, refusing to leave my house," he claimed.

Separately, LAPD Commander Andrew Smith said a woman had been found in Getty's home but did not say if it was DeJonge.

Getty was one of Gordon Getty's four sons and three daughters.