Julia Roberts' half-sister, Nancy Motes, has died at age 37 of an apparent drug overdose, her family said in a statement on Feb. 10 Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty 
 
 Julia Roberts' loved ones are grieving a tragic loss today. The August: Osage County actress' half-sister Nancy Motes has died of an apparent drug overdose at age 37, the family said in a statement to the New York Daily News on Monday, Feb. 10. 
 
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 The body of Motes, the youngest sibling of Roberts and her older brother, actor Eric Roberts, was apparently discovered on Sunday, Feb. 9. "It is with deep sadness that the family of Nancy Motes...confirms that she was found dead in Los Angeles yesterday of an apparent drug overdose," the statement read. "There is no official report from the Coroner's office yet," it continued. "The family is both shocked and devastated." 
 
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 UPDATE: Lieutenant Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner tells Us Weekly: "Nancy Motes was found dead at a residence in the bathroom yesterday, pronounced dead by the LA Fire Department at 2:12 PM yesterday. Not sure whose residence it was. She was found in a bathtub that had water in it. We're taking it as a suicide, not a drowning." 
 
 "She's being examined today. We are waiting for the doctor to provide his findings," the statement to Us continued. "There were prescription and non-prescription drugs found at the scene. Cannot tell you what those drugs were. The role the drugs may or may not have played is not yet known. The investigator at the scene listed at this point that he is going with suicide and we are waiting for the doctor to finish the examination. We haven't gotten anything yet." 
 
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 Motes, a production assistant, seems to have had a complicated history with her world-famous half-sister, 45. In an interview she gave to the New York Daily News last August, she described their relationship as "a work in progress." 
 
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 "I think we're both trying to change our opinions of each other," the Daily News quoted her as saying. "It's a work in progress. It's not going to be fixed overnight." 
 
 Still, she was hopeful the two would mend fences. "My family, we love each other absolutely," said Motes, who is also survived by niece Emma Roberts. "I love Julia absolutely, and I have no doubt she loves me." ||||| Julia Roberts was left devastated and anguished that she could not convince her half-sister Nancy Motes to enter rehab before her tragic drug overdose death in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 9, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned. 
 
 Motes, 37, a former production worker on the hit television show Glee, was found dead Sunday in a bathtub at a Los Angeles home, where authorities recovered both prescription and non-prescription drugs. 
 
 A source close to Oscar-nominee Roberts told Radar: “The sisters had a very complex relationship. They used to be very close when they were younger. Julia tried in vain over the years, even in the last six months, to get Nancy to go to rehab. Nancy refused the offers and that is when she would often publicly lash out at Julia. 
 
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 “It hurt Julia, but she knew her sister was battling addiction. 
 
 “The addiction to prescription drugs made Nancy a totally different person. There would be periods of sobriety and with that brought clarity. It would be during those moments that the sisters would reconnect. Sadly, of course, those times became less frequent before her death.” 
 
 As Radar previously reported, Motes called the Pretty Woman star a “b*tch” and appeared to have called her a “hag” as she vented in a series of tweets sent late last month. 
 
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 It was yet another illustration of the pair’s rocky relationship after Motes previously declared Roberts led her to take the extreme measure of having gastric bypass surgery. 
 
 “When I was in high school and she was an adult, she would just let me know that I was definitely overweight,” Motes told the New York Daily News last year. 
 
 “She would make it quite clear to me and in a not-so-nice a manner.” 
 
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 In tweets that have since been deleted, Motes wrote on Jan. 19 under the handle @Dabbs76, “So my ‘sister’ said that with all her friends & fans she doesn’t need anymore love. Just so you all know ‘America’s Sweetheart’ is a B—-H!!’” 
 
 She later added, “Do you want to be a fan of someone so cruel? She’s not even that good of an actress. Happy you totally F—ed with me?” 
 
 The family insider revealed to Radar that Roberts, 46, made arrangements for her troubled sister to check into a first class rehab facility last year. 
 
 “She had agreed to go… this was about a year ago,” the source said. 
 
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 “At the last minute, Nancy backed out, gave no reason. Yet, Julia told Nancy if she was ready to get healthy, all she had to do was call. Julia never got that call.” 
 
 On Monday, Roberts’ rep released a statement announcing the death of her Motes, as the August: Osage County star withdrew from a number of professional commitments in the wake of the family tragedy, including appearances Monday at a pre-Academy Award luncheon and one on Jimmy Kimmel. 
 
 “There is no official report from the Coroner’s office yet,” the spokesperson said. “The family is both shocked and devastated.” 
 
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 Added our source: Julia is taking the death very hard. It’s extremely difficult for her because it didn’t have to happen. Julia has a great support network around her and she is relying on her husband [Danny Moder], more now than ever.” 
 
 The star’s younger sibling was also half-sister to Eric Roberts and aunt to American Horror Story actress, Emma Roberts. 
 
 If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please immediately seek help. You can speak with a skilled, trained counselor at a national Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7 — call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
– Julia Roberts' half-sister was found dead yesterday in a Los Angeles bathroom in what appears to be a drug overdose, CNN reports. Nancy Motes, 37, "was found in a bathtub that contained water," the chief coroner's investigator told the Daily News. "There were prescription and non-prescription drugs found at the scene." He said more toxicology tests and an autopsy would be needed to determine the cause of death. Motes was a professional dog-walker and pet-sitter who was working at a house rented by a surgeon when her fiancé found her. Motes got some attention last year when she gave an interview saying Roberts used to tease her about her weight. "When I was in high school and she was an adult, she would just let me know that I was definitely overweight," she told the Daily News. "It just makes me feel incredibly hurt and very sad." Motes weighed almost 300 pounds before getting gastric bypass surgery four years ago. She hoped that the surgery would help mend her ruptured relationship with Roberts, but said it wouldn't be "fixed overnight ... by me just getting skinny." The Roberts family released a statement saying it was "shocked and devastated" by Motes' death.