Drew Barrymore Half-Sister Dead: Actress Called Jessica ‘Fat,’ Source Says

Drew Barrymore released a statement following the death of her half-sister Jessica on Wednesday, but apparently the child star said something so hurtful to her sibling that it stayed with her until her tragic death, the U.K.’s Daily Mail reported. Jessica passed away from a possible suicide after she was found dead in her vehicle, with white pills scattered inside. The news site claimed the “50 First Dates” star fueled Jessica’s lifelong struggle with weight.

“How could I possibly be related to someone who is so fat?” the Hollywood star supposedly said of Jessica. The actress first learned about her older sister when she was a child and her father John Barrymore showed her a photo of Jessica, a source said. John apparently told Jessica about Drew’s reaction.

Jessica felt she wasn’t “good enough” for her famous sister, the source said, even though they met only twice in their lives: once when their father was ill and another time to scatter his ashes.

Relatives told the news site that Jessica’s weight fluctuated dramatically, once with her losing 100 pounds in a matter of months. At one point, reportedly, she drank up to 20 energy drinks a day.

Jessica would have turned 48 on Thursday. She was found dead in National City, California, early on Tuesday morning. The white pills in her car haven’t been identified.

Drew, 39, released a statement to the New York Daily News on Wednesday after she learned of her sister’s death: "Although I only met her briefly, I wish her and her loved ones as much peace as possible and I'm so incredibly sorry for their loss."

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