By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:49am PST, Feb 14, 2024
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Fentanyl has become one of the deadliest substances on the planet. The powerful narcotic — a synthetic opioid that's cheap to produce — is frequently mixed with recreational street drugs or prescription painkillers, creating a terrifyingly lethal combination that continues to claim more lives with each passing day.
We're taking a look back at some of the bold-faced names we've lost to fentanyl…
Bobbie Jean Carter — who appeared on the reality show "House of Carters" with her famous siblings — died in Tampa, Florida, on Dec. 23, 2023. Nearly two months later, an initial case summary report from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department, which ruled her death accidental, revealed her cause of death was "intoxication by the combined effects of fentanyl and methamphetamine."
She's the third of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter's four siblings who's passed away at a young age, leaving Nick and sister Angel Carter as the family's surviving children. Their brother Aaron Carter died at 34 in 2022 and sister Leslie Carter died at 25 in 2012.
Keep reading for more stars we've tragically lost to the opioid epidemic…
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Former child actor Adam Rich — who's best known for his work as Nicholas Bradford, the youngest son on the '70s and '80s ABC show "Eight Is Enough" — died at his home in Los Angeles in January 2023. He was 54.
Five months later in June 2023, the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner's office confirmed that the star died from the effects of fentanyl and ruled his death accidental.
MORE: Stars who've lost children in recent years
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On Sept. 7, 2018, music star Mac Miller died at his home in the Los Angeles area following an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.
The rapper-producer was 26.
The following year, three men were arrested for their roles in selling counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to Mac, who'd reportedly requested the painkiller Percocet. At least two of them have since been sentenced to prison time.
MORE: Stars who died in freak accidents
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In April 2016, Prince died at his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, following an accidental fentanyl overdose. The music icon was 57. During a 2018 press conference, a prosecutor investigating Prince's death said that the superstar "thought he was taking Vicodin" and wasn't aware of the fact that the drugs he used for chronic pain management had been laced with fentanyl.
MORE: Stars who died in 2024
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In April 2016, true crime author Michelle McNamara, who was married to Patton Oswalt, died at their home in Los Angeles following an accidental overdose. She was 46. Multiple drugs — Adderall, Xanax and fentanyl — were in her system at the time. She also had previously undiagnosed heart disease that contributed to her death.
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Tom Petty died at a hospital in Santa Monica, California, in October 2017 after accidentally overdosing on a combination of opioids including fentanyl and oxycodone, plus two sedatives and an antidepressant. The chart-topping musician, who was 66, had struggled with chronic pain — and addiction issues — for years. Following his death, his family released a statement claiming that the "I Won't Back Down" singer had fractured his hip earlier that year. "On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication," they said.
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In January 2024, "Pawn Stars" creator and star Rick Harrison confirmed to TMZ that son Adam Harrison died from a fentanyl overdose at 39.
"The fentanyl crisis in this country must be taken more seriously," Rick — seen here with Adam — said, going on to blame the border crisis. "It seems it is just flowing over the borders and nothing is being done about it. We must do better."
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Angus Cloud — the actor who played drug dealer Fezco "Fez" O'Neill on HBO's "Euphoria" — was found dead in his family's home in Oakland, California, in July 2023.
The county coroner later confirmed the 25-year-old star died from an accidental overdose: As reported by TMZ, the young star's cause of death was acute intoxication from a combination of drugs that included fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and benzodiazepine.
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Former child actor Austin Majors — who scored his breakout role playing Theo Sipowicz, the son of Detective Andy Sipowicz on ABC's "NYPD Blue" beginning in 1999 — died on Feb. 11, 2023, at 27. Six months later in August 2023, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's office confirmed that his cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. Medical authorities also ruled the death of the star (real name: Austin Setmajer-Raglin) — who also appeared on shows including "ER," "NCIS," "According to Jim," "Desperate Housewives" and "How I Met Your Mother" — was accidental.
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Digital Underground rapper Shock G died of an accidental overdose in a Tampa, Florida, hotel room in April 2021. He was 57. A toxicology report later determined the "Humpty Dance" chart-topper had fentanyl, ethanol and methamphetamine in his system.
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In April 2023, Coolio's manager told TMZ that the "Gangsta's Paradise" chart-topper died in September 2022 from a fentanyl overdose. A coroner's report shared with his family noted that he also had heroin and methamphetamine in his system when he passed away at age 59 at a friend's house in Los Angeles. According to TMZ, Coolio's manager said that his severe asthma and decades-long use of cigarettes also played a role in his death.
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In April 2023, the New York Post reported that, according to the New York City Medical Examiner's Office, actor Frank Vallelonga Jr. — who appeared in the Oscar-winning 2018 biographical drama "Green Book" and popped up in a 2004 episode of "The Sopranos" — died in late 2022 of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and cocaine. He was 60. ("Green Book" is based on the life of Frank's father, who was known as "Tony Lip.")
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Tyler Sanders — a child actor who appeared on popular shows including "The Rookie" (pictured), "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead" — was found dead in bed in his Los Angeles home in June 2022. He was 18. Six months later, TMZ reported that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had determined fentanyl was the cause of death. The autopsy report stated that Tyler, whose death was ruled accidental, had a history of abusing drugs including heroin, cocaine, LSD, mushrooms and Xanax and that he'd told a friend in text messages sent the night before his passing that he was using fentanyl. Police found a plastic straw and white powder in the room where he died and apparent illicit drugs in the bathroom. In the wake of the medical examiner's findings, Tyler's grieving parents spoke out to raise awareness and continue the conversation on drugs and mental health. "Tyler was an ambitious, hard-working actor who was dealing with deep and persistent depression," dad David said in a statement. "Although actively seeking treatment, Tyler struggled to find relief and chose to experiment with drugs. Tyler fell into drug use, not as a way to have fun socially, but rather as an attempt to overcome his profound mental health struggle." Mom Ginger said she wanted people to know that their family, like so many others who lost a loved one to fentanyl poisoning, "never thought this could happen to us," and that "Tyler had a strong support system and still could not overcome his persistent depression."
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Jordan Cashmyer, who was featured on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" in 2014, died in Maryland in January 2022. Later in the month, the mother of two's family hinted at what happened, sharing on a GoFundMe account, "Addiction plagues many families, and our family was not immune to it." A month later, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner for the Maryland Department of Health confirmed to E! News that Jordan died of fentanyl and cocaine intoxication.
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"The Wire" actor Michael K. Williams died of an accidental drug overdose in his Brooklyn apartment in September 2021. He was 54. The five-time Emmy nominee, who struggled with drug addiction during his pre-fame days, had fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in his system. "Addiction doesn't go away. It's an everyday struggle for me, but I'm fighting," he'd told The New York Times in 2017.
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In November 2017, rapper Lil Peep died on his tour bus during a stop in Tucson, Arizona. He was just 21. A toxicology report later attributed his death to an accidental overdose of fentanyl and Xanax, though several other drugs (cannabis, cocaine, hydrocodone and oxycodone among them) were also in his system.
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Bobby Brown Jr. — the son of musician Bobby Brown and former love Kim Ward — died at his home in Los Angeles in November 2020 following an accidental overdose of fentanyl, alcohol and cocaine. He was 28. According to Page Six, a witness saw him drinking tequila and ingesting coke and half a Percocet before he died. (Either substance could have been laced with the synthetic opioid.) "Bobby was not into drugs. Bobby was often easily influenced. This is a situation where he associated himself with the wrong people. My son is gone and those who contributed to his senseless death should be held accountable," his mother said following his death.
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In May 2009, former Wilco member Jay Bennett, who left the alt-rock band in 2001, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. He was 45. The musician — who struggled with chronic hip pain and was hoping to eventually undergo hip replacement surgery — was reportedly wearing a fentanyl patch to manage pain when he died. (It's unclear if he'd been prescribed the patch or had obtained it by other means.)
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In September 2021, comedian Fuquan Johnson died at a Los Angeles house party of a suspected drug overdose. TMZ's sources said they believe he and two friends — comic Rico Angeli and Natalie Williamson — died after ingesting "cocaine laced with fentanyl," though a toxicology report has yet to confirm those suspicions. Comedian Kate Quigley was hospitalized but ultimately survived the tragic incident.
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On New Year's Day in 2020, rapper Lexii Alijai, who was known for her collaborations with Kehlani, died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl and ethanol at the Loews Minneapolis Hotel in Minnesota, where she'd been living with her mother. She was just 21.
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Child star Logan Williams — who made his acting debut in the 2014 Hallmark Channel made-for-TV movie "The Color of Rain" (pictured) before portraying a young Barry Allen on "The Flash" — died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in his native Canada in April 2020. He was just 16. His mother later told the New York Post that he'd struggled with addiction issues for three years before his death. He was "in complete denial because he was so ashamed" of his addiction issues, she said.
