A “loving and generous” 59-year-old woman from Ipswich died after taking an overdose of therapeutic medication, an inquest has heard.

Barbara Willson, of Kerry Avenue, known to her friends and family as Barbie, died at Ipswich Hospital on April 16 last year.

An inquest in Ipswich today heard Mrs Willson had been suffering migraines and chronic back pain before she became unwell on March 20.

A statement from her husband Kevin Willson was read aloud during the hearing, describing her as ‘loving, giving and generous’.

Nigel Parsley, area coroner, gave the medical cause of death as hypoxic cardiac arrest, aspiration pneumonia and mixed drug overdose.

Mr Parsley said she had taken a number of pills prior to her heath deteriorating.

He said: “Barbie died as a result of a medical condition contributed by an overdose of therapeutic medication.

“The cause of the overdose cannot be established with the available evidence.”