No Autopsy In Chuck Berry Death

There will be no autopsy, reports say, because Chuck Berry died what is considered a "natural death."

According to celebrity news website TMZ, Berry's personal doctor will sign off on the death certificate that the cause of death was natural, and therefore there will be no autopsy.

A death by natural causes, as recorded by a corner pr medical examiner and on a death certificate, means the death is attributed to an illness or an internal malfunction of the body, and not to external forces — which means foul play is not suspected. Any number of diseases could lead to a "natural" classification, although details have not been provided in Berry's case.

Lauded as the founder of rock 'n' roll, Berry died at age 90 Saturday at his home in St. Charles County, Missouri, about 45 miles west of St. Louis. St. Charles County police said they responded to a medical emergency to find Berry unresponsive. He could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

Immortalized by the hit "Johnny B. Goode," Berry hit the Top 10 in 1955 with "Maybellene" and went on to influence generations of musicians.