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On August 6, 2004, punk-funk legend Rick James was found dead in his Los Angeles home. He had nine different drugs in his system — including cocaine and meth.
Rick James’ death struck the music world like a tidal wave. In the 1980s, the “Super Freak” singer had taken funk music out of the nightclub and delivered mainstream hits on a silver platter. He had sold over 10 million records, was a Grammy Award winner, inspired countless artists, and become an icon in his own time.
Then, suddenly, he was gone.
On August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead by his full-time caretaker in his Hollywood home. He was 56 years old. By that point, it was well known that James had indulged in numerous vices throughout his career, including hard drugs. He had once even described himself as an “icon of drug use and eroticism.” So, many fans feared that James had died of an overdose.
However, Rick James’ cause of death turned out to be a heart attack. That said, a toxicology report also revealed that he had nine different drugs in his system at the time of his death — including cocaine and meth.
The Los Angeles County coroner said that “none of the drugs or drug combinations were found to be at levels that were life-threatening in and of themselves.” Still, it’s believed that the substances in his body — as well as his long history of drug abuse — contributed to his early demise.
While the coroner’s findings did provide a sense of closure to James’ loved ones, it also left many of them saddened. Apparently, James had ravaged his body to such an extent for so many decades that by that point, it could take no more. This is the tumultuous story of Rick James’ death.