Life imitated art for hit forensic investigation drama CSI: New York when a real mummified corpse was found in the building where an episode was being filmed.

Crew members had complained about a bad smell as they worked in the Pacific Electric Building in downtown Los Angeles.

Then a maintenance worker concerned about a resident who had not been seen or paid his rent in months entered the man's apartment and found a decomposed body.

Craig Harvey, chief of investigations for the Los Angeles County coroner's office, said the dead man had had lung cancer, and was suffering from depression.

The circumstances of his death were not considered suspicious, but the cause is still undetermined ahead of autopsy results.

The crew was filming a couple of floors above the body, according to press reports, but the main cast members were not there when the remains were discovered. This news story was provided by LexisNexis and originally appeared in The Liverpool Daily Post.