Celebrity
Prince Died From Drug Overdose, So Did These 10 Celebrities
Exactly six weeks after his death, police officials confirmed on Thursday (June 2nd) that the musical legend Prince passed away at the age of 57 from an opioid overdose.
Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota on April 21st. In May, Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud revealed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration were being called in to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Investigators determined that the Purple Rain singer’s addiction to painkiller medications was what ultimately led to his death. According to the report from the medical examiner’s office – which was released on Twitter – the official cause of death was “self-administered” Fentanyl toxicity. For manner of death, a box was marked for “accident.” The full autopsy and toxicology reports will not be released.
Prescribed by doctors for cancer treatment, Fentanyl can be made illicitly and is blamed for a spike in overdose deaths in the United States. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, it is 25 to 50 times more potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
“We are 5% of the world’s population and yet we consume 80% of the opioids on the planet,” said Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist and television personality. “The over-prescribing is out of control, and finally, this is just getting people’s attention.”
Over the years, drug overdose have taken the lives of many musicians, actors, comedians and more. See the celebrities who were tragically taken away too soon below.
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967 – 2014)
Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, an American actor who was in the film Capote, died of an overdose of heroin and other drugs on February 2nd, 2014. He had been sober for 23 years prior to 2012 when he relapsed. Hoffman was 46 years old.
2. Cory Monteith (1982 – 2013)
On July 13th, 2013, beloved Glee star Cory Monteith was found dead in his Vancouver hotel room from an overdose of heroin and alcohol. Although it was known that he had struggled with addiction as a teen, his death came as a shock to both his friends and fans. Monteith was 33 years old.
3. Michael Jackson (1958 – 2009)
On June 25th, 2009, the King of Pop Michael Jackson suffered cardiac arrest when he was found in his Los Angeles home by his personal physician Conrad Murray. Jackson was treated by paramedics at the scene and was later pronounced dead. In February 2010, an official coroner’s report detailed that the singer had died from acute propofol intoxication. The overdose was triggered by a lethal prescription drug cocktail, which included the sedatives midazolam, diazepam and lidocaine. Murray was sentenced to 4 years in prison (though only served 2 years) for involuntary manslaughter. Jackson was 50 years old.
4. Heath Ledger (1979 – 2008)
Heath Ledger died alone in his apartment on January 22nd, 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription painkillers, anti-anxiety meds, and sleeping pills. At the time he had just finished filming his role as the Joker in Dark Knight. Ledger was 28 years old.
5. John Belushi (1949 – 1982)
John Belushi was an actor and comedian, one of the first performers on “Saturday Night Live” and one half of the Blues Brothers. After a night of partying in Hollywood, he overdosed after injecting a combination of heroin and cocaine into his bloodstream. On March 5th, 1982, he was found dead at the Chateau Marmont where he was staying. Belushi was 33 years old.
6. Elvis Presley (1935 – 1977)
On the morning of August 16th, 1977, Elvis Presley was found unconscious in his home in Tennessee. He died soon after of heart failure. Presley had a history of abusing prescription painkillers, and was known to take narcotic shots and pain medication usually prescribed for terminal cancer patients. It was later ruled that his death was related to his prescription drug use; toxicologists found Valmid, Quaaludes, codeine, Placidyl and phenobarbitol in his system. Presley was 42 years old.
7. Jim Morrison (1943 – 1971)
Jim Morrison was an American musician who was the singer of The Doors. On July 3rd, 1971, Morrison died when he suffered cardiac arrest due to heroin and cocaine use. There was no autopsy done, so the exact details still remain a mystery. Morrison was 27 years old.
8. Jimi Hendrix (1942 – 1970)
On September 18th, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died in London from a sleeping pill overdose mixed with alcohol. He choked on his own vomit while sleeping and never regained consciousness. Hendrix left his lasting mark on the world of rock music and remains popular to this day. As one journalist wrote in the Berkeley Tribe, “Jimi Hendrix could get more out of an electric guitar than anyone else. He was the ultimate guitar player.” Hendrix was 27 years old.
9. Janis Joplin (1943 – 1970)
Janis Joplin was an American musician who had a number one hit with the song “Me and Bobby McGee.” Joplin struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for much of her life. On October 4th, 1970, she died of a heroin overdose. Joplin was 27 years old.
10. Marilyn Monroe (1926 – 1962)
Actress Marilyn Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose in 1962. On August 5th, Monroe was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand at her Los Angeles home. An empty bottle of sleeping pills, prescribed to treat her depression, was found by her bed. After a brief investigation, Los Angeles police concluded that her death was “caused by a self-administered overdose of sedative drugs and that the mode of death is probable suicide.” Monroe was 36 years old.