Fuquan Johnson and Enrico Colangeli join tragic list of celebs killed by fentanyl including Tom Petty and Prince
COMICS Fuquan Johnson and Enrico Colangeli join a growing list of celebrities that includes the legendary singer Prince and guitarist Tom Petty who have died from accidental fentanyl overdoses.
Drug dealers often use fentanyl to lace with cocaine, heroin, MDMA, and methamphetamine.
The drug, which is commonly used as a painkiller, is believed to be 50 times more powerful than heroin.
Comedian Johnson was among three people found dead inside an apartment in Venice Beach, LA on Saturday after suffering a suspected drug overdose.
Natalie Williamson, 33, and fellow entertainer Enrico Colangeli, 48, were also found lifeless.
Comedian and model Kate Quigley was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but is expected to survive.
All four were reportedly unresponsive or already dead when police arrived on the scene.
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It’s not known who brought the laced drugs to the party or in what capacity they were used or passed around.
Autopsies will be conducted on each of the three dead to determine their cause of death.
Tragically, Johnson and Colangeli join a growing list of celebrities who have died after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl.
Autopsy results revealed that Bobby Brown Jr – the son of Bobby Brown – died last November from a combination of alcohol, cocaine, and fentanyl, US Today reports.
The 28-year-old’s girlfriend found him unresponsive at his California home on November 18.
Paramedics declared him dead when they arrived on the scene.
Coroners said his death was an accident and no foul play was suspected.
Brown Jr’s passing came just years after Whitney Houston was found dead after she drowned in a bathtub in 2012.
‘LETHAL COCKTAIL’
Rap superstar Mac Miller died of an accidental overdose at his California home on September 7, 2018.
The musician had a history of substance abuse and had ingested a lethal dose of alcohol and drugs before his passing.
An autopsy revealed Miller had a lethal mixture of fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol in his system when he died.
Guy Lawrence, of Disclosure, told EDM: “He was on the way back to recovery and health, and by all accounts, it was just a tragic accident.”
The rapper’s personal assistant told cops that Miller had been in “good spirits” and was working on projects, NPR reports.
Cameron James Petit, 28, allegedly gave Mac a deadly concoction of Xanax, cocaine, and fentanyl.
Petit and two other men were charged in October 2019 with the distribution of a controlled substance in connection with Mac’s death. He pleaded not guilty, according to WeHoville.
By all accounts, it was just a tragic accident
Guy Lawrence
Singer-songwriter Tom Petty died of an accidental overdose in 2017, according to Los Angeles coroners.
He had taken several medications including fentanyl and oxycodone to relieve pain.
Petty’s family said that the drugs had been prescribed to treat emphysema, knee problems, and a fractured hip, The Rolling Stone reports.
His death came just a week after the Heartbreakers 40th anniversary tour.
Medics found him unconscious at his Malibu home in October 2017 where he was rushed to hospital and put on life support.
His family hoped that his death would spark a debate on the opioid crisis within the US.
Petty’s daughter Adria said: “It (Fentanyl) is so crazy-strong. We really don’t want this to happen to anyone else.
“We learned this is the worst feeling you can have: to lose someone you love for no good reason.”
Legendary singer, dancer, and record producer Prince died in Minnesota in April 2016.
He won seven Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain.
He was one of the best-selling artists of all time having sold over 100million records worldwide.
‘OPIOID CRISIS’
Prince was 57 when he died after he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park home in May 2016.
Autopsy results revealed he died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
Cops searched Prince’s home and looked through the mobile phone records of his associates, according to search warrants.
Other bottles of pills were allegedly marked under the names of different drugs – but at least one of those tested positive for fentanyl.
In April 2018, cops announced that nobody would be charged in connection with supplying the painkillers that killed the artist.
And, ex Wilco member Jay Bennett died from fentanyl in May 2009.
His death came just weeks after he told fans on social media site MySpace that he needed hip replacement surgery.
Lead singer Jeff Tweedy said Bennett would be remembered as a “truly unique and gifted human being”.
He was a member of Wilco between 1994 and 2001 before leaving the band.
Fentanyl was said to be the leading factor in the fatal overdoses of Lil Peep – who was found dead on his tour bus in 2017 – and Slipknot bassist and songwriter Paul Gray.
Drug overdose deaths have surged across the US throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, jumping by 30 percent, according to Vox.
Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, told the outlet: “This is completely different. It’s a disruption of the trend.”
She said deaths involving fentanyl “grew exponentially”.
Loneliness and isolation during the pandemic have been blamed for the rise in drug deaths, the BBC reports.
Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are believed to be the driver behind the increase in overdose deaths, according to experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In July, it was reported that there were 250 overdose deaths every day, with 11 occurring per hour.
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