Donda West's Surgeon on What Really Killed Her

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Celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Jan Adams operated on Kanye West's mom, Donda West, the day before she died, and was subsequently enveloped in controversy. Now, the doctor sits down with ET's Chris Jacobs for his first interview, telling his side of the story.

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"I feel responsible totally, because I'm the surgeon and I'm the guy in charge," says Dr. Adams. "But I'm not the guy to blame."

Dr. Adams, who was cleared by the Los Angeles Coroner of any wrongdoing in the Donda West case, blames the media for the controversy that followed him after Donda's passing.

In a single surgery in 2007, Donda underwent a breast augmentation, tummy tuck and liposuction. Dr. Adams believes that aspiration (the sucking of fluid or other substances into the airway when breathing in) is to blame for her death, saying that she probably "laid down, ate, had narcotics onboard, aspirated, her lungs got all this food in it and then four minutes later she passed away."

"It's a tragedy that she's not here," says Dr. Adams. "She was a wonderful woman."

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Following the Donda West case, Dr. Adams served eight months of jail time and surrendered his medical license after a series of DUIs. He's now petitioning the medical board to get his license reinstated, which he expects to happen soon.

Dr. Adams insists that he "never struggled with alcohol before" and that he no longer drinks, as "it doesn't serve [him]."

Dr. Adams' book The Other Side of the Fire is available now.