Answer Addiction

Tag: RIP

  • Ariana Grande’s Brother: Mac Miller Helped Me Get Sober

    Ariana Grande’s Brother: Mac Miller Helped Me Get Sober

    “He was the reason I went to the rehabilitation center where I was detoxed safely from all of the drugs alcohol and medications I was taking.”

    Frankie Grande paid tribute to Mac Miller in an Instagram post, stating it was thanks to the late rapper that Grande got sober.

    “I am beyond heartbroken over Malcolm’s death. He was a good friend and was wonderful to my sister,” Grande posed, referring to the relationship his sister, Ariana Grande, and Miller shared. “He was the reason I went to the rehabilitation center where I was detoxed safely from all of the drugs alcohol and medications I was taking, when I couldn’t imagine living without them. It was the place where I found the community of support that showed me that living life without drugs was a possibility and I would have never discovered that if it weren’t for Malcolm.”

    Grande went on to recount all the times Miller showed up to support Grande’s sobriety milestones before calling for sympathy for those who suffer from substance abuse disorders.

    “I am beyond heartbroken over Malcolm’s death. He was a good friend and was wonderful to my sister,” Grande wrote in the caption. “He was the reason I went to the rehabilitation center where I was detoxed safely from all of the drugs alcohol and medications I was taking, when I couldn’t imagine living without them. It was the place where I found the community of support that showed me that living life without drugs was a possibility and I would have never discovered that if it weren’t for Malcolm.”

    Grande recounted all of the times Miller showed up to celebrate his sobriety milestones, treating him with gifts and “words of encouragement.”

    “Addiction is a TERRIBLE disease… many people are suffering from addiction like I am and many many of them are losing,” he  wrote. “Those of us who are struggling with addiction must stay strong. We must continue to work HARD on ourselves every single day and help each other. Our disease is strong but WE ARE STRONGER and I vow to work every moment of my life to have myself sober so that i may be there for others.”

    Grande included several numbers to resources that anyone who may need help with substance abuse.

    “Malcolm my friend, you will be dearly missed,” he added. “And I know you will be looking down on me from heaven, proudAF for every day I live my life clean and sober… 453 days and counting… Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Dolores O’Riordan's Alcohol-Related Cause of Death Revealed

    Dolores O’Riordan's Alcohol-Related Cause of Death Revealed

    The Cranberries singer’s body was found in a London hotel in January. 

    The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan had a blood alcohol level four times the legal driving limit at the time of her death, according to coroner’s inquest, AP News reports.

    A police officer reported to the inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court that on January 15, O’Riordan, 46, was found in a London hotel submerged in a bathtub in her pajamas. There was no note and no evidence of any self-harm. As such, the AP states, the inquest determined that O’Riordan’s death was accidental and caused by alcohol consumption. 

    In Britain, inquests are usually held after a sudden, violent or unexplained death. The purpose, according to the AP, is to determine the facts of the circumstances surrounding the death. 

    In O’Riordan’s room, authorities discovered five mini alcohol bottles as well as a bottle of champagne. In addition to O’Riordan’s high blood alcohol content, “therapeutic” amounts of prescription medications were also found in her body, the AP states. 

    “There’s no evidence that this was anything other than an accident,” coroner Shirley Radcliffe stated.

    Prior to her drowning, O’Riordan had reportedly struggled with her physical and mental health. The AP reported that in 2017, the band had to end their world tour early due to her back issues.

    In interviews, she had also spoken about being sexually abused during her childhood, as well as struggling with depression and bipolar disorder. 

    After the iconic singer’s death, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar stated that “for anyone who grew up in Ireland in the 1990s, Dolores O’Riordan was the voice of a generation.”

    After the inquest, The Cranberries released a statement on Twitter. 

    “Today we continue to struggle to come to terms with what happened,” it read. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to Dolores’ children and family and our thoughts are with them today. Dolores will live on eternally in her music. To see how much of a positive impact she had on people’s lives has been a source of great comfort to us. We’d like to say thank you to all of our fans for the outpouring of messages and continued support during this very difficult time.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Mac Miller Dies At Age 26

    Mac Miller Dies At Age 26

    Miller was found dead in his home of an apparent drug overdose.

    Rapper Mac Miller was found dead in his home in Studio City, California on Friday (September 7). The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner pronounced Miller dead at 11:51 am, People confirms, and a source says his death was caused by cardiac arrest following a drug overdose.

    “Malcolm McCormick, known and adored by fans as Mac Miller, has tragically passed away at the age of 26,” his family wrote in a media press release. “He was a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans. Thank you for your prayers. Please respect our privacy. There are no further details as to the cause of his death at this time.”

    Miller was born in Pittsburgh and struck fame at age 18 with his fourth mixtape, K.I.D.S., in 2010. He was in a public relationship with pop star Ariana Grande for about two years until they broke up earlier this year.

    Just hours before he died, Miller was posting videos of himself in a recording studio on Instagram.

    He had struggled with substance abuse throughout his life. His most recent episode came just a week after his public breakup with Grande when he was arrested for drunk driving. He ran into a power pole and fled, but law enforcement was able to match the plates to his Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon and charged him with DUI and hit-and-run.

    “I made a stupid mistake. I’m a human being,” Miller explained at the time. “But it was the best thing that could have happened. Best thing that could have happened. I needed that. I needed to run into that light pole and literally have the whole thing stop.”

    Fellow musicians openly mourned Miller’s passing on social media.

    “I dont know what to say Mac Miller took me on my second tour ever. But beyond helping me launch my career he was one of the sweetest guys I ever knew,” Chance the Rapper tweeted. “Great man. I loved him for real. Im completely broken. God bless him.”

    Post Malone also shared condolences.

    “God fucking dammit. You were such an incredible person. You changed so many lives. Had so much love in your heart,” Malone wrote on Twitter, “You inspired me throughout highschool, and I wouldn’t be where I was today without you. Never a more kind and sincere and beautiful person. I fucking love you mac.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Christopher Kennedy Lawford Dies At 63

    Christopher Kennedy Lawford Dies At 63

    “He was the absolute cornerstone to my sobriety,” said his cousin, Patrick Kennedy.

    Actor Christopher Kennedy Lawford has died, according to his family. The nephew of John F. Kennedy succumbed to a heart attack on Tuesday, according to his cousin, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy. He was 63.

    Lawford was living in Vancouver, Canada with his girlfriend and working to open a recovery facility, according to the AP.

    Lawford used his own drug issues to author several books about addiction and recovery—including Moments of Clarity (2008), Recover to Live (2013), What Addicts Know (2014), and When Your Partner Has an Addiction (2016).

    Lawford—the son of English “Rat Pack” actor Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy—was candid about his recovery, and guided others on the same path.

    “He was the absolute cornerstone to my sobriety, along with my wife. He was the one who walked me through all the difficult days of that early period,” said Patrick Kennedy, who battled his own drug issues and is now a vocal advocate for mental health and addiction recovery.

    Lawford described using LSD in his youth while in boarding school. He stayed away at first, but began experimenting to cope with the trauma of his parents’ bitter divorce and the assassinations of his uncles John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.

    “I had friends trying to get me to use LSD in seventh grade. I grew up with an ethic of trying to do good in the world, and I said no. Then my Uncle Bobby was shot. Next fall they asked me again and I said sure,” Lawford told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2016.

    Things only got worse from there, as Lawford “graduated” to heroin and other opioids, according to the AP. In his memoir Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption (2005), Lawford described mugging women for money, panhandling in Grand Central Station, and getting arrested for drug possession.

    Lawford finally went to rehab at the age of 30. And while his life was far from perfect, he said he has no regrets.

    “There are many days when I wish I could take back and use my youth more appropriately. But all of that got me here,” he told the AP in 2005. “I can’t ask for some of my life to be changed and still extract the understanding and the life that I have today.”

    After the death of his cousin David Kennedy (son of RFK) who fatally overdosed at the age of 28, Lawford said in 1991, “I never expected to make it to 30. I shouldn’t have. I just have to stay out of my own way, because I’ve got this capacity to screw things up.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Ex-Boyfriend of Bethenny Frankel Dies From Apparent Overdose

    Ex-Boyfriend of Bethenny Frankel Dies From Apparent Overdose

    Dennis Shields appeared on several “Real Housewives of New York” episodes alongside Frankel.

    Dennis Shields, who dated the Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel, was found dead in his apartment in the Trump Tower from what police sources reported as a suspected overdose.

    The 51-year-old, who appeared in several episodes of the Bravo reality show, was reported to have asked his assistant to administer the overdose reversal drug Narcan at around 9 a.m. on August 10; the New York Police Department confirmed that they responded to a 911 call that morning in regard to an unconscious male, who was pronounced “deceased on scene” by emergency medical services. 

    The medical examiner’s office stated that a report on the cause and manner of Shields’ death will be released after completion of an investigation.

    Shields was the CEO of the litigation-funding firm LawCash and oversaw several other finance-related companies. He had known Frankel for nearly three decades through her friendship with his wife, Jill Shields, and began dating her after their separation in 2016.

    Their relationship traversed on-and-off arcs for several years, which was showcased on Real Housewives, and while the couple was reportedly apart at the time of Shields’ death, a source reported that they remained close.

    As both TMZ and the New York Post reported, a spokeperson for the NYPD confirmed that officers responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive male at Shields’ corner apartment on the 42nd floor of Trump Tower at approximately 9:19 a.m. on the 10th.

    Sources told TMZ that Shields had asked his assistant to give him a dose of Narcan before slipping into unconsciousness. The medication failed to revive him.

    Emergency medical responders reported that Shields was pronounced dead at the scene; though cause of death was not given, sources told TMZ that oxycodone may have been involved in the overdose. According to the New York Times, it is not clear if the drug was prescribed for Shields.

    In a statement to People, Shields’ estranged wife, Jill Shields, said, “We are all heartbroken. Dennis was, and will always be, the love of my life. His spirit lives on in our children and our future grandchildren.” She also posted photos of Shields and their four children on her Instagram account.

    Frankel also took to Instagram to pay tribute to Shields. She posted a photo of Shields laying beside her dog with the caption, “Rest In Peace my sweet babies who gave me endless unconditional love. #nowandforever.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Facts Of Life" Star Charlotte Rae Dies At 92

    "Facts Of Life" Star Charlotte Rae Dies At 92

    Rae had been sober for decades, after attending her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the early 1970s.

    Charlotte Rae, the actress who became famous as Mrs. Garrett on Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, died Sunday at 92. 

    Rae was diagnosed with bone cancer last year and was weighing how aggressively to treat the disease, according to People. She had previously been treated for pancreatic cancer, and was declared cancer-free after chemotherapy. 

    “So now, at the age of 91, I have to make up my mind,” she told People in April 2017. “I’m not in any pain right now. I’m feeling so terrific and so glad to be above ground. Now I have to figure out whether I want to go have treatment again to opt for life. I love life. I’ve had a wonderful one already. I have this decision to make.”

    Rae had been sober for decades, after attending her first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the early 1970s, when she was filming a short-lived appearance as the mail lady on Sesame Street. Rae was in her 40s and said that alcohol had become her drug of choice and preferred sleeping aid by the time she realized that she needed help. 

    “After the wrap party for Sesame Street, I went over to a meeting,” she told Fox News last year. “I was expecting to see a bunch of bums with red noses and burlap flying around. No—I saw a lot of well dressed, beautiful people. At the end of the meeting, we all held hands and said the Lord’s prayer. And I wept. That was the beginning of my sobriety. I’m now 42 years sober.”

    Rae’s husband, composer John Strauss, also went to AA, and later confessed to his sponsor that he was gay. 

    “The sponsor said, ‘You have to tell your wife.’ So he did. When he told me, I thought I was going to faint. I couldn’t believe it. We were very, very close,” she said. However, the couple remained cordial. “It was tough, but I never, never said anything about John to my children. Never. We continued to be friends. It was very painful, but because of my support system and my admiration for him, I survived and went on.”

    In addition to her well-known roles on Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, Rae made appearances on ER, Pretty Little Liars, Sisters, and The King of Queens. She also starred in movies including Don’t Mess with the Zohan and Tom and Jerry: The Movie, and was the voice of “Nanny” in the animated 101 Dalmations: The Series.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Dr. Drew and Dave Discuss Overdose Death of "Dopey Podcast" Host

    Dr. Drew and Dave Discuss Overdose Death of "Dopey Podcast" Host

    Chris from Dopey Podcast had been clean for almost five years before his fatal relapse.

    Dopey Podcast co-host, Chris, 33, passed away from an overdose on July 24. 

    The Fix spoke with Dave, his friend and Dopey co-host, about the sudden loss. The two met eight years ago at Chris’s 14th rehab. They stayed in touch and became close friends.

    Chris had a year and a half sober and Dave was three months sober when they started the Dopey Podcast.

    “I loved Chris and I will always miss him,” Dave told The Fix, his voice cracking with emotion. Dave is unsure of the exact date that Chris’s relapse began. 

    Board-certified internist and addiction specialist “Dr. Drew” Pinsky is a big fan of Dopey. Back in March, he sat down with the guys to discuss addiction, rehab and romance for their 124th episode.

    The Fix spoke with Dr. Drew about Dopey after his appearance on the show. “If you’re an addict,” he said, “and you listen to Dopey, you will find your people, and your story here. Listen to it and you’ll see what I mean.”

    During the episode, it was revealed that Pinsky had treated Chris years ago after one of his relapses. Dr. Drew joked with Chris about what a difficult case he’d been.

    After finding out about Chris’s death, Pinsky offered his condolences to Dave, “Chris’s death is such a huge loss. His was a great success story—especially after so many years of chronic relapses. This is a real tragedy.”

    “Chris loved being sober and he loved Dopey,” Dave said. “He drove to New York every week—10 to 12 hours roundtrip—just to record each episode of Dopey with me. But the last month he became really unreliable.”

    Annie Giron, Chris’s girlfriend, told The Fix that she was the one who found his body in the bedroom of their Boston apartment. Giron has extensive training in the medical field of addiction.

    “Chris had just finished his MA and was working towards a PhD in Clinical Psychology,” said Giron, fighting back tears. “I’m studying to be a psychiatrist. I know his death was not intentional. He was not suicidal at all. We were very much in love and excited about the future.”

    “I’ve never been an addict and there are no addicts in my family but I have always been passionate about the field of addiction,” she said. “Over the years, I have administered Narcan to so many patients in the ER. I treated one patient 17 times and Narcan saved his life. That’s why the minute I saw Chris, I knew that he was dead. I tried to revive him with Narcan anyway even though I knew it was too late.”

    Dave said, “Over the past month Chris had started acting really weird. I asked him what was going on. He blamed it on exhaustion. I believed him. He was really busy as a manager in a sober living facility and always studying.

    Chris had a long history of drug abuse but had been clean for almost five years before his final relapse. Dave, Annie and friends were concerned that Chris was close to relapsing. Annie said he wasn’t depressed but had been anxious and agitated. He’d spent a week helping a patient and he may have confiscated medication.

    “Chris tore a ligament in his leg that was extremely painful. He couldn’t sleep and I’d hear him moaning in agony. A doctor said it would take 4-6 months before Chris would feel any better. He needed to do physical therapy which the doctor warned would be painful. He hadn’t wanted to take painkillers but the injury was excruciating.”

    Dave said he’d talked with Dr. Drew and Annie about how far Chris had come in his life and how shocked and heartbroken they are at this unexpected loss.

    Dr. Drew’s next Dopey episode will go live on Saturday, August 11. He and Dave will discuss addiction, recovery, and the frightening reality of America’s spike in fatal relapses.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Black Keys Collaborator Richard Swift's Cause Of Death Revealed

    Black Keys Collaborator Richard Swift's Cause Of Death Revealed

    The prolific musician battled alcohol addiction prior to his death. 

    The family of singer-songwriter and music producer Richard Swift confirmed that his death on July 3, 2018 was due to alcohol addiction. A post on Swift’s Facebook page confirmed that the 41-year-old died in a hospice facility in Tacoma, Washington one month after being hospitalized for hepatitis and liver and kidney distress.

    In addition to releasing several acclaimed solo albums, Swift performed and toured with the Black Keys, Wilco and the Shins, produced recordings by Damien Jurado and The Mynabirds, among others, and owned a recording studio, National Freedom, where artists like Sharon Van Etten and Guster recorded material.

    Swift was hospitalized in June for an undisclosed “life-threatening condition,” for which a GoFundMe page was established to offset hospital costs.

    After his death on July 3, Swift’s family, his label and Next Wave Management issued a joint statement on his official Facebook page to address questions about his passing. 

    The post’s authors confirmed that Swift suffered from alcohol addiction, which “ultimately took his life,” they wrote. With help from friends and family and the assistance of MusiCares, a foundation which provides medical and personal assistance to music industry figures, he had undergone “multiple stays” in rehabilitation facilities during the past two years, and was diagnosed with hepatitis and liver and kidney ailments in June 2018.

    According to the post, “multiple hospitals worked to help stabilize him over the course of that month, but his body was unable to heal, and per his wishes and with his family’s consent, he was moved to hospice care.”

    Swift died in the early morning of July 3, leaving behind his wife, Shealynn, and three children.

    A prolific and widely admired musician and producer, Swift began his recording career with two self-released albums that were reissued by the independent label Secretly Canadian as The Richard Swift Collection, Volume 1 in 2005.

    He issued a slew of solo work between 2007 and 2014, which featured contributions by Mark Ronson and Ryan Adams, among others, while also serving as a member of the Shins from 2011 to 2016 and as touring bassist for the Black Keys in 2014 and drummer for the Arcs. 

    Black Keys co-founder Dan Auerbach paid tribute to his friend with an Instagram post on July 3 that read, “Today the world lost one of the most talented musicians I know. I will miss you my friend.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Actor Jackson Odell Found Dead At Sober Living Facility

    Actor Jackson Odell Found Dead At Sober Living Facility

    Odell had appeared on a variety of sitcoms including “The Goldbergs,” “Arrested Development” and “Modern Family.”

    Actor Jackson Odell has been found dead at a sober living facility in Tarzana, California on Friday, June 8.

    Odell was 20 years old at his time of death, the cause of which has yet to be confirmed through an autopsy. E! News reported that the LA County Coroner’s Office stated that no drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death. Odell’s last drug test had been clean.

    According to TMZ, Odell had been in the sober living facility for three weeks.

    The Los Angeles Times reported that Ed Winter, assistant chief of investigations for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, stated that Odell had a “history with heroin” and that autopsy results would be delayed due to toxicology tests that will be done in order to evaluate if anything was in Odell’s system at the time of his death.

    Odell was an actor and a musician who had portrayed Ari Caldwell on ABC’s The Goldbergs from 2013 to 2015. In addition to other small acting roles on shows such as Modern Family and Arrested Development, he was a singer-songwriter who contributed original songs for the soundtrack of the film Forever My Girl.

    Odell’s family released a statement that focused on the young man’s spirit and place in his family:

    “The Odell family has lost our beloved son and brother, Jackson Odell on Friday,” the statement read. “He will always be a shining light and a brilliant, loving and talented soul.  He had so much more to share. Our family will always carry that truth forward. Our wish is that the rest of the world who knew and loved him does as well.  We are now going to try to make sense of our immeasurable loss privately. We will not be making any further statements.”

    Comedian and songwriter Josh Wolf created songs with Odell, and Wolf’s wife, Bethany, directed the movie Forever My Girl, for which Odell co-wrote the song “Don’t Water Down My Whiskey.”  

    Yahoo News published Josh Wolf’s tribute to Odell:

    “It’s important that people know how ready he was to live. How happy he was to be alive. How much more he had to share with all of us. We are simply crushed. Please go to his site, listen to his music, watch his videos… celebrate his life with us. We love you, Jackson.”

    Modern Family star Ariel Winter shared on Twitter that she had known Odell since they were 12 years old. “We didn’t talk much as we entered into our high school years, but I’m glad I got to spend time with him before his end. Very hard for me to hear about anyone passing away, but someone so young really saddens me.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Anthony Bourdain Dies At 61

    Anthony Bourdain Dies At 61

    The “original rock star of the culinary world” was a celebrated writer and chef who had conquered heroin addiction and became world famous in his forties.

    Beloved chef and world-renowned television personality Anthony Bourdain was found dead Friday morning in his hotel in France. He was 61.

    CNN confirmed that the TV host died by suicide. He was in France working on an upcoming episode for his long-running food and travel show, Parts Unknown. Bourdain is survived by his 11-year-old daughter, ex-wife Ottavia Busia and girlfriend Asia Argento. 

    Coined the “original rock star of the culinary world” by the Smithsonian, Bourdain made a name for himself with the publication of a New Yorker article — Don’t Eat Before Reading This—where the chef spilled some “trade secrets” about his time spent in professional kitchens and the cast of characters he encountered. 

    With book editors intrigued, Bourdain would soon write his literary opus, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. The New York Times bestseller gave outsiders a no holds barred look into the raucous world of cuisine. Infused with Bourdain’s trademark no-nonsense personality, readers were introduced to the chef who was caught up in the frenzied world of sex, drugs, and dinner service.

    Bourdain’s celebrity exploded shortly after the release of Kitchen Confidential.

    Bourdain detailed in a 2016 Biography interview how the memoir changed his life smack dab in the middle of his forties: “Oh, man, at the age of 44, I was standing in kitchens, not knowing what it was like to go to sleep without being in mortal terror. I was in horrible, endless, irrevocable debt. I had no health insurance. I didn’t pay my taxes. I couldn’t pay my rent. It was a nightmare, but it’s all been different for about 15 years. If it looks like my life is comfortable, well, that’s a very new thing for me.” 

    He would go on to become one of the most popular celebrity chefs of this generation with a string of food and travel shows such as A Cook’s Tour, No Reservations, The Layover and Parts Unknown.

    Bourdain was also open about his battles with addiction. He began using drugs during the early portion of his restaurant career and eventually became an avid heroin user.  

    He told Biography, “I got off of heroin in the 1980s. Friends of mine from the ‘70s and ‘80s, they just got off five, six, maybe 10 years ago. And we’re the lucky ones. We made it out alive. There are a lot of guys that didn’t get that far. But you know, I also don’t have that many regrets either.”

    Celebrities, politicians, cooking peers and fans took to Twitter to remember the beloved chef. Former President Barack Obama tweeted, “‘Low plastic stool, cheap but delicious noodles, cold Hanoi beer.’ This is how I’ll remember Tony. He taught us about food—but more importantly, about its ability to bring us together. To make us a little less afraid of the unknown. We’ll miss him.”

    Gordon Ramsay tweeted, “Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food. Remember that help is a phone call away US:1-800-273-TALK UK: 116 123”

    Chef Eric Ripert, Bourdain’s best friend, paid tribute on Twitter, “Anthony was my best friend. An exceptional human being, so inspiring & generous. One of the great storytellers who connected w so many. I pray he is at peace from the bottom of my heart. My love & prayers are also w his family, friends and loved ones.”

    If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) in the US. To find a suicide helpline outside the U.S., visit IASP or Suicide.org.

    View the original article at thefix.com