Luke Bell: Medical examiner confirms country singer’s cause of death

TUCSON, Ariz. — Country musician Luke Bell died from fentanyl intoxication, according to the autopsy report released Tuesday by the Pima County Medical Examiner’s office in Arizona.

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The death has been ruled an accidental overdose, according to KVOA.

Bell was found dead Aug. 29 at the age of 32, nine days after he was reported missing in Tucson, Arizona.

Bell’s friend and fellow musician Matt Kinman confirmed the singer-songwriter’s death on the Saving Country Music blog.

According to KGUN, which first reported Bell’s cause of death, drug paraphernalia was found near his body.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on Jan. 27, 1990, Bell was raised in Cody, Wyoming, but made a name for himself as a musician from Austin, Texas, and New Orleans to Nashville, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bell’s family released the following statement in the wake of his death:

“We have lost our beloved son, brother and friend and we are heartbroken. Luke had a gentle heart, a wanderer’s spirit and a musical gift that he was fortunate to share with us and the world,” the family stated, adding, “Unfortunately, Luke suffered from the disease of mental illness, which progressed after his father’s death in 2015. Luke was supported through his disease by a community of loving family and friends. Despite this, he was unable to receive the help he needed to ease his pain. Our hearts go out to the millions of people affected by mental illness who, like us, understand the devastating disappointment of a system that consistently fails to provide caring solutions to those who suffer.”

Bell gained fame after releasing his 2014 debut album, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” He went on to sign a record deal with Thirty Tigers in 2016 and release his self-titled album later that year, People magazine reported, citing The Boot.

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