Son of LA Clippers owner found dead in Malibu

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill,File)

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) The son of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was found dead of an apparent drug overdose at his Malibu home, authorities said Wednesday.

The body of Scott Ashley Sterling, 32, was found shortly after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 22600-block of Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz said.

Deputies dispatched to check on Sterling's welfare found his body. A friend of Sterling's said he hadn't been heard from for several days, according to a statement from the county Sheriff's Department.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

"Sheriff's homicide and Los Angeles County coroner's personnel at this time believe that Sterling died of an apparent drug overdose," the statement said.

Dietz said the death appeared to be accidental, but an autopsy was planned to determine the exact cause of death.

Messages left for Donald Sterling and a Clippers spokesman were not immediately returned.

In 1999, Scott Sterling, then 19, was arrested for shooting his friend with a shotgun. Beverly Hills police said Philip Scheid was shot in the legs during an argument at Donald Sterling's mansion. Scheid said he was shot from behind while running away. Sterling said he fired in self-defense after Scheid approached him with a knife. The county district attorney's office declined to file criminal charges, citing credibility problems with the victim.

Scott Sterling's father is a multimillionaire, a philanthropist and owner of a basketball team that recently had a franchise-record, 17-game winning streak. That streak ended Tuesday night with a 92-78 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Updated January 2, 2013