The family of recently deceased philanthropist Eva Rausing have announced they are to set up a foundation in her memory, to continue her work helping drug addicts.

Rausing (née Kemeny) was heavily involved in charitable work, and her family are reported in the national press as hoping her death will ultimately raise awareness of drug addiction and financial support for those affected by it.

In a statement, they said: "The Kemeny family is deeply distressed by the tragedy of their daughter Eva's death and have seen the widespread worldwide media coverage of her difficulties over the last few days.

"Eva would have wanted the memory of her life to be used to benefit others facing similar addiction challenges in their lives. The Kemeny family hopes this tribute will be used to draw attention to the tragedy of drug addiction and to generate awareness and financial support for this cause in the future. In due course they will launch a foundation."

Last week organisations Rausing was involved with – including Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, Mentor UK and Chemical Dependency Centre – expressed their sympathies following her sudden death on 9 July.