Justin Townes Earle died in August at the age of 38. A few days after his death, a Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson told SPIN that the cause of death was “likely related to a drug overdose.”
In a statement shared on Townes Earle’s social media accounts, his estate confirmed that the singer-songwriter died from an overdose.
“Even though Justin was very outspoken and concerned about the opioid epidemic and the dangers of the ‘legal’ drugs fed by the pharmaceutical companies, he became the victim of a deadly dose of fentanyl,” the statement said. “Illicit drugs laced with fentanyl are causing an enormous rise in overdoses, turning cocaine usage into an even deadlier habit. It only takes a few salt sized granules of fentanyl to cause an overdose. And in most cases, happens so fast that intervention likely could not reverse it.”
Townes Earle’s father, Steve Earle, is releasing a tribute album next month where he covers all of his son’s songs.
See the full statement below.
Three months after we lost Justin, the medical examiner has concluded that the cause of his death was an accidental drug…
Posted by Justin Townes Earle on Tuesday, December 1, 2020
