Did Dr. Frank Ryan Die Because He Was Tweeting?

(CBS)  Police in California are investigating if famed plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan's death on Monday in a car crash in Malibu was the result of distracted driving from texting and tweeting at the wheel.

CBS News National Correspondent Jeff Glor reported on "The Early Show" Thursday Ryan, 50, was known in Hollywood as the plastic surgeon to the stars, making headlines for what some considered "extreme makeovers."

The surgeon became a celebrity because of what he did for celebrities. Rockers Gene Simmons and Vince Neill, reality stars Melissa Rivers, Lorenzo Lamas and Shauna Sand were all clients of Ryan -- many even let the cameras roll as he transformed them.

Perhaps his most famous patient was Heidi Montag, who actually underwent 10 plastic surgeries in one day with Ryan late last year.

Pictures: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt

Ryan died while driving the Pacific Coast Highway when his Jeep Wrangler went off the road, landing on its rooftop. Only moments before, Ryan was sending pictures and updates to his Twitter page, including one about his dog, which read, "Border collie Jill surveying the view from atop the sand dune."

Before that, Ryan wrote, "After 25 years of driving by, I finally hiked to the top of the giant sand dune on the PCH west of Malibu."

Authorities have yet to determine if his texting contributed to the crash.

On Tuesday, a candlelight vigil drew celebrity clients and friends, one of whom called Ryan "a genius."

Montag posted a tweet, saying, "I am devastated. He was the most amazing person I have ever known. He was an angel and he changed my life. … Dr. Frank Ryan changed the world."

Charmaine Blake, Ryan's former girlfriend, said, "Frank was a perfectionist, and when he works on you everything has to be detailed and perfect...He's the last person on earth anyone expected to die."

Those who knew Ryan said he was not only known for his celebrity work, but his charitable causes. The doctor donated much of his time to helping former gang members by removing their tattoos.

[da90027]

All of these comments sections should be removed. The morons, self righteous and stupid just come out from under their rock and prove how insensitive people with a computer are. I actually applaud him for driving a 1995 Jeep. There are so many pretentious jerks in LA trying to impress people with an ugly Mercedes or Corvette. He cared more about other people than driving some flashy car.

I'd like to b***h slap every person who left a mean comment on here. Your parents did a lousy job raising you.

BTW, cats are not stupid. Try to teach a dog to poop in a box of sand then cover it up.

[megabit01]

I have never before been compelled to defend anyone from "hit and run" thoughtless, ignorant comments. In this case, the man is dead from an accident. Accidents are by definition things that shouldn't have happened.
Dr Ryan was not a perfect man, he was fallible just like the rest of us who make mistakes we skate away from everyday. I can't speak to the intelligence or character of all that read this, but watch your smugness and self righteousness.... The chances are excellent Dr Ryan was smarter, did more for others philanthropically, and was far more generous with his time helping others, than most of us who are still fortunate enough to be bumbling through our daily lives.
RIP Dr Ryan,. So very glad to have known you.

[itsleilaDuh]

Some of these comments are quite rude. A person died, it is a tragedy to someone. Dr. Frank Ryan?s death is very sad, and not to mention slightly disheartening. After all the work done to educate the public about the dangers of texting and driving, people are still doing it. I had a few close calls because of the overwhelming temptation to use my phone and drive so i downloaded SMSreplier and i don?t have to worry about it anymore. It is shocking how one text/tweet/status update etc. can change not just one person?s life, but the lives they touched as well. I can?t even imagine how his loved ones are feeling. The world lost a great doctor last Monday. Let his story serve as a reminder for the dangers of texting and driving. My heart goes out to his friends and family. God bless.

[pragmatist1]

...even if that turns out to be the case, there are still a large percentage of drivers who think it's safe to text, talk on the cell, tweet, etc...if true, fortunately, this thoughtless guy didn't kill anyone else with his idiocy and disregard for safety...

[Zowwyy]

Here's the weirder observation... why was a hollywood plastic surgeon driving a 1995 wrangler??? How tight was this guy!

[lexx22]

I knew Frank Ryan. He was modest and unpretentious, not cheap. If you read the article you'd have seen he spent his money on more important things than impressing the masses. I was in his office on a wed, the day of the week laser treatments were booked. There were 7 young men in the process of getting their gang tattoos removed JUST THAT DAY. The amount of treatments necessary to remove a tattoo can cost upwards of $2500. He didn't charge for this! So if anyone whats to know why he drove a 95 jeep... He had better things to spend his money on.

[dvillegas43-2009]

On the upside. Stupid people don't breed.

[WinkyCat]

Hey...Cats are stupid and do they BREED!
Meow

[rational_1]

If so that would make him a tweeting twit. I wouldn't be surprised after seeing a moron rear-end another driver while he was preoccupied with his cell phone.

[longtree-2009]

beginning to think that those that use social networking, texting, twitter are all very egotistical, narcisstic types or just lack self-esteem. but in this specific instance, agree with the comment posted by MikeOnTheRightAZ which bottom line is "HANG UP & DRIVE MORONS!"

[MikeOnTheRightAZ]

Just goes to show you, twelve years of school and eight (or more) years of college, and you still can't fix stupid.

HANG UP & DRIVE MORONS!