Jill Ireland’s Son Found Dead in His Canyon Home

Jason McCallum, adopted son of actor David McCallum and actress Jill Ireland, was found dead in his Laurel Canyon home, police said today. He was 27.

McCallum, whose long battle with drug addiction was the subject of a book by Ireland that was published earlier this year, had been undergoing a series of medical treatments at the time of his death, said his personal physician, Dr. Howard Mark.

Mark said the last time he saw McCallum he was lucid and “gave every evidence of being drug-free for some weeks.”

Police found no sign of foul play, said Detective Don Kalash. “We do not know the cause of death at this point. We will have to wait for an autopsy report,” he said.

The body was found Tuesday by a friend, Tracy Medina. The cause of death was not immediately known, and an autopsy will be performed.

McCallum was adopted shortly after his birth by David McCallum and Ireland, and was raised in Bel-Air after Ireland married actor Charles Bronson, a family spokesman said.

David McCallum is an actor and former co-star in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E. “ television series.

Jason McCallum reportedly made numerous attempts at drug rehabilitation and said in April he had been clean for two months after one month in a recovery program.

Ireland, who has been battling cancer for months, said through a family spokesman, “I hate drugs. Jason had shown signs of being on the road to recovery. The book meant a lot to Jason, and he hoped it would keep other young people from going through what he had gone through.”

Her book, “Life Lines,” is in the process of becoming an NBC-TV movie, and McCallum was participating in its production.