DREW BARRYMORE has raced to the rescue of her 68-year-old druggie dad - after he took a near fatal fall off a horse.

The CHARLIE'S ANGELS star, who has spent the last few months trying to track down her dad JOHN after learning he had become addicted to painkillers given to him for a shoulder injury, was horrified to receive a call from Mexican authorities who discovered him in the Baja desert, unconscious and face down in a ditch.

John was being weaned off drugs at a nursing home when he bolted from the Californian facility and headed for the Mexican desert which he loves. Somewhere along the way, he acquired a horse, a Barrymore family friend has told American tabloid the NATIONAL ENQUIRER. The pal says, "It appears he was trying to ride through a steep ravine when his horse lost its footing and slipped, pitching him head first. "When Mexican authorities discovered him, he was severely dehydrated. If he hadn't been found when he was, John would have died!"

Drew, who rushed to her dad's aid, has paid to move him into an assisted living facility in Hollywood and also paid for professional care to help get him off drugs again.

(LE/NE/NFA)

Source: WENN