Drug-Related Deaths - Notable Celebrities
The tragic loss of a renowned celebrity or athlete to a drug or alcohol-related death is an event that often leaves many unanswered questions. Famous and much-loved celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Heath Ledger have been the victims of such unfortunate circumstances. While many deaths may be due to misuse of illegal substances, these drugs are not always illicit - and an overdose may not always be intentional.
Drug Interactions Can Be Deadly
Death due to drugs can also be the result of mixing prescribed medications with other drugs (legal or illegal), alcohol, over-the-counter medications or even herbal supplements. Drug-drug interactions may also play a role in drug-related deaths. For example, the consumption of multiple central nervous system depressants, such as opioid pain killers, sedatives, hypnotics, or alcohol may lead to an unintentional overdose due to severely depressed breathing.
Mixing illicit, prescription or over-the-counter medications can be dangerous, and patients should always rule out drug interactions with their healthcare provider. The use of prescription medications with illegal drugs or alcohol can produce an unpredictable and fatal response, and many deaths due to such circumstances may have been preventable.
The following table outlines the death of notable celebrities and athletes who have had drugs or alcohol implicated in their deaths.
| Name | Notable Fame | Cause of Death | Drug Category | When | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sigmund Freud | Neurologist | Physician-assisted suicide; morphine | Prescription drug overdose | 1939 | 83 |
| Hank Williams, Sr. | Country music singer-songwriter | Heart failure, possibly alcohol, drug-related (accidental) | Mixed alcohol and Illegal drugs (speculated) | 1953 | 29 |
| Tommy Dorsey | American jazz musician | Choked himself while sleeping; unable to awaken due to sedative use | Prescription drug overdose | 1956 | 51 |
| Joseph McCarthy | U.S. Senator | Hepatitis exacerbated by alcohol, alcoholism | Alcohol | 1957 | 48 |
| Billy Holiday | American jazz singer and songwriter | Cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol; alcoholism | Alcohol | 1959 | 44 |
| Marilyn Monroe | American actress, model, singer, sex symbol | Barbiturate overdose (suicide) | Prescription drug | 1962 | 36 |
| Eugene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb | Football defensive lineman in the National Football League (US), Pittsburgh Steelers; professional wrestler | Heroin overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 1963 | 31 |
| Lenny Bruce | American comedian | Drug overdose: morphine (accidental) | Illegal drugs | 1966 | 40 |
| Brian Epstein | English businessman; manager (The Beatles) | Sedative overdose (accidental) | Prescription drug overdose | 1967 | 32 |
| Judy Garland | American actress and singer | Barbiturate (Seconal) overdose; controversial if suicide or accident | Prescription drug overdose | 1969 | 47 |
| Brian Jones | Musician (The Rolling Stones) | Drowning due to alcohol and drug intoxication | unknown | 1969 | 27 |
| Jack Kerouac | Author | Cirrhosis of liver, internal bleeding due to alcohol use | Alcohol | 1969 | 47 |
| Jimi Hendrix | American musician and singer-songwriter | Respiratory arrest, asphyxia due to alcohol and barbiturate overdose; vomit inhalation | Mixed alcohol and prescription drugs | 1970 | 27 |
| Janis Joplin | American musician | Heroin overdose | Illegal drug | 1970 | 27 |
| Jim Morrison | Musician, singer, songwriter (The Doors) | Heart failure; possible heroin or cocaine overdose (disputed) | Illegal drug | 1971 | 27 |
| Bruce Lee | Martial artist, actor, film director, pop culture icon | Cerebral edema due to meprobramate, aspirin | Prescription drug overdose | 1973 | 32 |
| Howard Hughes | American business tycoon, movie producer and director, aviator, engineer, investor | Kidney failure; possible complications due to chronic use of aspirin (high doses) and dehydration | Nonprescription drug (not confirmed) | 1976 | 70 |
| Elvis Presley | American musician, singer, actor, cultural icon | Heart arrhythmia, possibly aggravated by multiple prescriptions (methaqualone, codeine, barbiturates, cocaine), speculated | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs, speculated | 1977 | 42 |
| Freddie Prinze | Actor | Self-inflicted gunshot; possibly under influence of methaqualone, cocaine (suicide) | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs, speculated | 1977 | 22 |
| Keith Moon | Drummer (The Who) | Clomethiazole overdose | Prescription drug | 1978 | 32 |
| John Simon Ritchie, aka Sid Vicious | Musician (Sex Pistols) | Heroin overdose (suicide) | Illegal drug | 1979 | 21 |
| Jon Bonham | English musician (drummer) and songwriter (Led Zeppelin) | Asphyxiation due to massive alcohol consumption | Alcohol | 1980 | 32 |
| John Belushi | American actor; comedian; musician; Saturday Night Live comedy TV show | Speedball overdose; a combination of heroin and cocaine (accidental) | Illegal drugs | 1982 | 33 |
| Richard Burton | Welsh-born actor | Cerebral hemorrhage; possible complications due to alcohol, alcoholism | Alcohol | 1984 | 58 |
| Truman Capote | American writer | Liver disease complicated by phlebitis, alcohol and multiple drug intoxication | Alcohol | 1984 | 59 |
| David Kennedy | Fourth son of Robert F. Kennedy; no profession | Overdose of cocaine, meperidine, thioridazine (controversial, some say he was murdered) | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs | 1984 | 28 |
| Len Bias | Boston Celtics second overall NBA draft pick (1986) | Cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 1986 | 23 |
| Don Rogers | Football safety in the National Football League (US), Cleveland Browns | Fatal cocaine overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 1986 | 23 |
| Chet Baker | Jazz musician and singer, trumpet player, guitarist | Accidental fall from hotel window; cocaine, heroin | Illegal drugs | 1988 | 59 |
| David Croudip | American football defensive cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons | Cocaine overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 1988 | 30 |
| Abbie Hoffman | American Political activist | Phenobarbital overdose (suicide) | Prescription drug overdose | 1989 | 52 |
| Paul Hayward | Professional Rugby League Player; Newton Jets (Australia) | Heroin overdose; contracted HIV in prison | Illegal drug overdose | 1992 | 38 |
| John Kordic | Professional hockey player | Lung failure complicated by unspecified drug overdose (possible anabolic steroid abuse) | unknown | 1992 | 27 |
| River Phoenix | American actor | Heroin and cocaine overdose | Illegal drugs | 1993 | 23 |
| David Waymer | American football player, NFL | Heart attack, cocaine related | Illegal drug | 1993 | 34 |
| Kurt Cobain | American singer-songwriter and musician (Nirvana) | Gunshot wound to head; heroin and diazepam found in body (suicide) | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs | 1994 | 27 |
| Margeaux Hemingway | American actress | Phenobarbital overdose; suicide | Prescription drug overdose | 1996 | 42 |
| Chris Farley | Comedian, actor; Saturday Night Live sketch comedy TV show | Overdose; combination of morphine and cocaine; complicated by heart disease; fluoxetine also in system (accidental) | Illegal drugs | 1997 | 33 |
| Peter Jackson | Australian rugby player | Heroin overdose (suicide) | Illegal drug | 1997 | 33 |
| Christopher Wiley Antley | Horse jockey; 2-time Kentucky Derby winner | Overdose; (clobenzorex, paroxetine, methamphetamine, carbamazepine) and trauma (accidental) | Prescription drugs | 2000 | 34 |
| Elisa Bridges | American model, actress | Drug overdose: heroin, methamphetamine, alprazolam, meperidine | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs | 2002 | 28 |
| Douglas Glenn Colvin, aka Dee Dee Ramone | American songwriter and musician (The Ramones) | Heroin overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 2002 | 50 |
| John Entwistle | English bass guitarist (The Who) | Heart attack induced by cocaine | Illegal drug | 2002 | 58 |
| Darrell Porter | American professional baseball player | Cocaine overdose (accident) | Illegal drug | 2002 | 50 |
| Steven Scott Bechler | Major League baseball pitcher; Baltimore Orioles | Heat stroke exacerbated by ephedra | Alternative/herbal drug | 2003 | 23 |
| Anthony Durante | Professional wrestler | Oxycodone or fentanyl overdose (accidental) | Prescription drug overdose | 2003 | 36 |
| Howie Epstein | American bass guitarist (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) | Possible heroin overdose; also reportedly using prescription antibiotics | Illegal drug overdose | 2003 | 47 |
| George Best | Professional soccer player | Complications due to alcohol abuse, alcoholism | Alcohol | 2005 | 59 |
| Eddie Guerrero | Professional wrestler | Cardiomyopathy, heart disease, possibly due to anabolic steroid use | Anabolic steroids (speculated) | 2005 | 38 |
| Scott Charles (“Bam Bam”) Bigelow | American professional wrestler; World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) | Multiple drug overdose: cocaine, temazepam (accidental), possibly worsened by heart disease | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs | 2007 | 45 |
| Chris Mainwaring | Australian Football Player | Cocaine overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 2007 | 41 |
| Anna Nicole Smith | American model, Playboy playmate, actress | Combined drug toxicity due to chloral hydrate and benzodiazepines (accidental) | Prescription drugs | 2007 | 40 |
| Ike Turner | Musician, bandleader, songwriter, producer | Cardiovascular, lung disease complicated by cocaine overdose (accidental) | Illegal drug | 2007 | 76 |
| Christopher Bowman | American figure skater | Drug overdose: cocaine, diazepam, cannabis, alcohol (accidental) | Mixed alcohol, illegal and prescription drugs | 2008 | 40 |
| Heath Ledger | Australian actor | Combined drug toxicity due to oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, diazepam, temazepam, doxylamine (accidental) | Prescription drug overdose | 2008 | 28 |
| Edward Fatu “Umaga” | Samoan-American professional wrestler | Hydrocodone, carisoprodol, diazepam (accidental) | Prescription drug overdose | 2009 | 36 |
| Michael Jackson | American Pop Singer and icon | Cardiac arrest, acute propofol intoxication; midazolam, lidocaine, diazepam, lorazepam also noted in autopsy report | Prescription drugs | 2009 | 50 |
| Billy Mays | Spokesperson | Heart disease possibly complicated by cocaine use | Illegal drug | 2009 | 51 |
| Erica Blasberg | American golfer (LPGA) | Asphyxia; multiple drug overdose: butalbital, temazepam, alprazolam, codeine, hydrocodone, and tramadol (suicide) | Prescription drugs | 2010 | 25 |
| Andy Irons | Surfer | Cardiac arrest complicated by mixed drug ingestion (cocaine, methamphetamine, alprazolam, methadone) | Mixed illegal and prescription drugs | 2010 | 32 |
| Michael Carl Baze | Horse jockey | Overdose; cocaine, oxymorphone (accidental) | Mixed prescription/ illegal drugs | 2011 | 24 |
| Derek Boogaard | Canadian professional ice hockey player; left wing (New York Rangers) | Alcohol and oxycodone overdose (accidental) | Mixed alcohol and prescription drugs | 2011 | 28 |
| Amy Winehouse | English singer and songwriter | Fatal alcohol poisoning; alcoholism | Alcohol | 2011 | 27 |
| Whitney Houston | American singer, actress | Drowning; complications of cocaine and heart disease; Flexeril, marijuana, Xanax and Benadryl also found in body but did not contribute to death | Illegal drug | 2012 | 48 |
Drug Frequency in Reported Deaths
| Drug | Frequency |
|---|---|
| cocaine | 22 |
| heroin | 13 |
| Alcohol (contained in alcoholic beverages) | 13 |
| diazepam | 5 |
| alprazolam | 4 |
| hydrocodone | 3 |
| methamphetamine | 3 |
| morphine | 3 |
| oxycodone | 3 |
| temazepam | 3 |
| meperidine | 2 |
| aspirin | 2 |
| codeine | 2 |
| cannabis | 2 |
| Xanax | 1 |
| meprobamate | 1 |
| methadone | 1 |
| carbamazepine | 1 |
| carisoprodol | 1 |
| midazolam | 1 |
| Flexeril | 1 |
| oxymorphone | 1 |
| paroxetine | 1 |
| Benadryl | 1 |
| phenobarbital | 1 |
| doxylamine | 1 |
| propofol | 1 |
| fentanyl | 1 |
| thioridazine | 1 |
| fluoxetine | 1 |
| tramadol | 1 |
| lidocaine | 1 |
| butalbital | 1 |
| lorazepam | 1 |
