Courtney Love Denies Heroin Overdose

Courtney Love, widow of rock star Kurt Cobain, on Thursday denied reports that she overdosed on heroin April 7 at the Peninsula Hotel before being rushed to Century City Hospital and being booked on drug charges in Beverly Hills.

“It’s not true,” Love said by phone from the home in Seattle where her husband was found dead April 8 of a self-inflicted shotgun blast. “I wish I could go into it, but I have been advised not to say anything.”

Love’s defense attorney, Barry Tarlow, said his client was not under the influence of heroin when she was arrested and booked last week on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of stolen property.

Tarlow said hotel security officials called 911 after Love called the front desk and complained about an allergic reaction to a prescription drug--not a heroin overdose--and that the alleged stolen property was a prescription pad left in her hotel room by a psychiatrist treating the singer.

Sources said a Beverly Hills psychiatrist had been treating Love since April 4 for emotional and substance abuse problems. The psychiatrist could not be reached for comment.

“I was with Courtney Love at the jail and she was not under the influence of heroin and she was not booked for that,” said Tarlow, a prominent criminal defense attorney who has handled high-profile trials such as the case involving the murder of Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique Camarena.

“This incident is a minor footnote to a significant tragedy and is being blown all out of proportion. I suppose we have to respond to the prurient interests of the media. It certainly doesn’t deserve the attention it is receiving.”

Tarlow acknowledged that police recovered a needle in the room, but declined to comment further. He said the packet of white powder confiscated was a Buddhist “good luck” potion given to Love by her friends.

“That’s the only controlled substance the police have in their possession,” Tarlow said. “My client is innocent of these allegations.”

Love, who is scheduled to be arraigned May 5 in Beverly Hills Municipal Court, was taken into custody under the name Courtney Michelle Cobain and taken at the request of police to Century City Hospital by paramedics.

According to Tarlow, Love was stable when she arrived at the hospital and as a result was not admitted. Police booked the singer at noon into the Beverly Hills jail, where she posted $10,000 bail and was released that afternoon.

A source close to Love confirmed that the singer had been struggling with drug problems and planned to enter a drug rehabilitation center prior to the hotel incident. She did so Thursday, sometime after her release from police custody. But she left Friday immediately after being notified of her husband’s death and flew back to her Seattle home.

A medical examiner said Thursday that Kurt Cobain committed suicide April 5, three days before his body was found. The examiner said toxicology tests were complete but would not be released publicly, except by family request.

Arrangements for the care of the couple’s 19-month-old daughter could not immediately be determined.

Times pop music critic Robert Hilburn contributed to this story.