WHAT’S THE STORY?

AWARD-WINNING comedian and actor Jim Carrey is at the centre of a huge media and internet storm over a court case being brought against him in the USA in connection with the death of his former girlfriend Cathriona White.

The Irish actress and make-up artist killed herself at the age of 30 with an overdose of prescription drugs a year ago this month.

Although White had been in an on-off relationship with Carrey for some years, she married cameraman Mark Burton in 2013 during a break from Carrey. They were still married at the time of her death in Los Angeles on September 28 last year, but White had left Burton and rekindled the relationship with Carrey only to break up with the star again days before her death.

It is Burton who has raised the lawsuit, seeking damages for her alleged “wrongful death” and for reimbursement of legal fees and funeral expenses.

The writs allege Carrey controlled and manipulated White, and that he had used his “immense wealth and celebrity status” to obtain the drugs under the name of Arthur King.

WAS CARREY REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HER DEATH?

CARREY could have settled out of court, but the star, who was invited by her family to be a pallbearer at White’s funeral in Co Tipperary in Ireland, has taken the unusual step of going public with his defence.

He said: “It would be easy for me to get in a back room with this man’s lawyer and make this go away, but there are some moments in life when you have to stand up and defend your honour against the evil in this world. I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved.

"Cat’s troubles were born long before I met her and sadly her tragic end was beyond anyone’s control.

“I really hope that some day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.”

Burton’s allegations are going to be very difficult to prove, not least because the police investigated White’s death thoroughly and the coroner ruled that it was definitely a suicide and not an accidental overdose. Perhaps ironically, Carrey was furious that her suicide notes were made public by the county coroner’s office, even though White’s words appeared to absolve him of blame. There was apparently also a previous attempt by White to kill herself after the death of her father Pat in 2012. Her suicide took place three years and two days after his death at home in Cappawhite, Tipperary.



White died after taking a mixture of pills. The day before her death, Carrey texted White, above, to ask about drugs that were missing from his home.

Burton alleges that text was part of attempts byCarrey to “conceal and obfuscate his involvement and culpability”.

BUT ISN’T CARREY JUST A LOVEABLE SCAMP THAT WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE?

JAMES Eugene Carrey is now 54 and long past the sort of youthful slapstick role that made him a major Hollywood player able to command $20 million and more per film.

The Canadian-born actor and comedian has been a star since he graduated from the LA stand-up comedy circuit of the 1980s to television and then the big screen.

In the mid-1990s, he went from being pretty well unknown to becoming the world’s best-known and most-popular comic actor with his roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and its sequel Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, as well as Dumb and Dumber and especially

The Mask in which he starred opposite newcomer Cameron Diaz and displayed an edgy side to his acting.

It was only years after these films made him a global star that it was revealed that Carrey had been suffering from depression, something that has afflicted him again and again and for which he has been prescribed Prozac and other drugs.

He has also been a serious campaigner on the issue of the MMR vaccine, and has been slated for his views that multiple vaccines are not safe.

SO CARREY IS THE LATEST TORTURED GENIUS OF COMEDY, YEAH?

IN a line that stretches down from Tony Hancock, you might say, but there is a big difference in that Carrey is also a very fine serious actor in dramatic parts.

His role as The Riddler in Batman Forever in 1995 showed he could play serious roles with a deft comedic touch, and he followed that with the lead role in Liar, Liar in which Carrey memorably played a lawyer who had to tell the truth for a day, with hilarious results.

It was 1998’s brilliant satire The Truman Show which proved that Carrey was no mere slapstick comedian, and he deservedly won the Golden Globe award, following it a year later with Man on the Moon, a moving portrayal of the tragic entertainer Andy Kaufman.

His performances as The Grinch, Bruce Almighty and Joel Barish in the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – he won the Bafta Best Actor award for that movie – all showed that he could move between comedy and drama with ease. Although latterly his box office appeal has diminished, Carrey is still a big name with “green light” status, for if he says he will play a part, the film gets made.

He is also a celebrity of the modern age who acknowledged after White’s death that his private life would be public property, as his previous relationships with wives Melissa Womer and Lauren Holly and girlfriends Renee Zellweger and Jenny McCarthy all proved.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT GOING TO BE ON HIS CAREER?

IN the bizarre ways of Planet Hollywood, this latest controversy probably could not have been better timed, though Carrey would surely wish it otherwise and could well do without the angst it is clearly causing him.

His most serious role to date is as Tadek in True Crimes, a thriller due out soon with a screenplay by Last King of Scotland writer James Brock that is based on the murder of a Polish businessman – stills released so far show Carrey quite unrecognisable in his beard and shaven skull.

It is said to be a dark and mysterious film, but Carrey has previously shown he is ready for any challenge on or off screen, as evidenced by his forthright reaction to this extraordinary court case.