Celebrities Who Died Due to Drug Overdose in 2015 And 2016
The mysterious death of rock star Prince in April 2016, which later turned out to be a self-administered overdose of prescription painkiller fentanyl, broke many hearts. Ironically, the tragic incident just added another name to the long list of celebrities who have succumbed to drugs till date, particularly in the last couple of years.
Although drugs might be the cause of death for many people, this does not necessarily imply that the life was lost due to the use of an illicit drug. The abuse of prescription drugs (using the amount of drug that exceeds the prescribed limit) also causes a lot of deaths in the United States and beyond.
Overall, addiction has become a millstone around the neck of the United States (U.S.), with drug overdose deaths increasing by 137 percent. Interestingly, this includes a 200 percent increase in the rate of drug overdose deaths due to opioids. With approximately 47,055 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a significant increase has been witnessed in the rate of drug overdose deaths in both sexes.
Like in the case of Prince, there were other personalities too who died of drug overdose. As we come to the end of another year, here we look back at some celebrities who conceded their lives to one substance or the other. These incidents are examples that help us understand how fatal can drugs become when abused by an individual:
Prince Rogers Nelson: The world-famous songwriter, Prince Rogers Nelson, was found dead at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota in April 2016. According to some reports, the singer died at the age of 57 due to an accidental overdose of opioid fentanyl. This synthetic opioid analgesic is estimated to be between nearly 100 times as potent as morphine.
Scott Weiland: The American singer succumbed to drug overdose in December 2015. While Weiland suffered from multiple health issues, such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, asthma and dependence on various substances, the major cause of his death was an accidental overdose of a toxic mix of cocaine, ethanol and methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA).
Harris Wittels: Harris Lee Wittels, an American comedian and musician, died in February 2015 due to accidental heroin overdose. He was found dead at his Los Angeles home. Drug-related articles, such as a spoon, syringe cap and leftovers of latex balloons, were recovered from the place of incident.
Bobbi Kristina Brown: The American reality television and media personality died in July 2015 at a young age of 22. She was found dead in a bathtub in her suburban Atlanta townhome. Although it is difficult to say whether the death was intentional or accidental, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office in Atlanta underlined the hazardous combination of marijuana, alcohol, medications used for the treatment of anxiety and benzoylecgonine as the cause of her death.
Fight against addiction
The list including the names of the celebrities who have died due to drug overdose is unfortunately quite long. Limiting drug supply and ease of access can help the authorities in curbing the problem of drug addiction and related deaths. However, the most important factor in the fight against addiction is the affected person’s willpower.
If you know someone who is addicted to any form of addictive substances and is in need of help from a drug addiction treatment center in Arizona, contact the Arizona Drug Addiction Helpline. Call us at our 24/7 helpline number 866–576–4147 to get relevant information about the best drug addiction treatment clinics in Arizona.