Casey Johnson death: The tragedy, feuds and scandals that have plagued an American dynasty

It was a fortune founded on the healing of Americans. But, in the 123 years since Robert Wood Johnson and his brothers began making bandages, the family has suffered its own plague of feuds and scandals.

Long before 30-year-old Casey Johnson's body was found in Los Angeles on Monday, the pharmaceutical dynasty's wealth didn't inoculate it against tragedy.

Though Casey's death is still under investigation, the passing of his drug-addled daughter is bound to call up excruciating memories for New York Jets owner Robert (Woody) Johnson 4th, 62.

In 1975, his 25-year-old brother, Keith, died in his Fort Lauderdale., Fla., apartment, apparently of a cocaine overdose. Police found his nude body with a belt wrapped around one arm. In a nearby closet, cops found hypodermic needles, a spoon and a plastic bag stuffed with white powder.

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  Casey Johnson's shocking death is the latest in a long line of tragedies… (Graves/WireImage)

The following month, Woody's 22-year-old brother, Billy, was thrown 60 feet when his motorcycle crashed in Santa Monica, Calif. The family's fortune, built on first aid, couldn't save him.

"Woody rarely speaks about his brothers," says a family friend. "But you can't help but feel that year shaped him. It forced him to be strong. It may also have made him more guarded about revealing too much emotion. He keeps his cards pretty close to his vest."

Some think that the no-nonsense owner of an NFL team was too hard on Casey, who saw her allowance dry up when her father was said to have become fed up with her bills and pills.

"After the death of his brothers, I think he could have been more understanding of her," says a family friend. "He gave her attention, but I don't know if it was the right kind."

Casey was the first of the three daughters of Woody and wife Sale. (The couple married in 1979 and divorced in 2001.)

"Casey was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 8," says the friend. "Sale and Woody were determined to do everything to help her. They co-wrote a book about juvenile diabetes. They kind of turned her into a poster child for the disease.

"But I don't think she wanted to be a poster child. She wanted to be a healthy, normal kid. But she always felt she was different. She was very sad and searching to be loved."

Another friend argues that Casey "was trouble from the time she was young. Her sister Jaime suffered from lupus disease, but she was a great student. Her sister Daisy is practically an Olympic-level equestrian.