crippa died a week ago at santa barbara cottage hospitalized , seven days after he eating a heaping plate of the lethal amanita ocreata bugs , says his housekeeper , joan crippa . known as " death flower " for its snow - white color , the organism has deadly toxins that worked their way through crippa ' s system , shocking him and eventually causing his liver to failure . household representatives had often warned crippa against tolerating in his passion for consuming wild mushrooms , an activities he learned from his italian immigrant parents , his wife stated .
Crippa's wife, Joan, was an Italian immigrant.