The cause of death of singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, who passed away this August, has been ruled as an accidental overdose according to his reps on social media. The performer reportedly ingested a lethal amount of fentanyl, a very potent opioid that has been a major contributor to many deaths in the United States. Several prominent performers such as Mac Miller and Prince were found to have had fentanyl in their systems following their deaths, while many overdose victims are unaware that they are ingesting the opioid to begin with.

“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,” Earle’s team wrote on social media. “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.”

 

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Earle is the son of country legend Steve Earle, who will be releasing a covers album of his son’s work J.T., on January 4, 2021, in honor of the late Earle’s would be 39th birthday. Steve Earle released a cover of “Harlem River Blues,” the title track from his son’s 2010 studio album, last month. His family has also launched a GoFundMe to help pay for the late Earle’s medical expenses.

This upcoming project is named J.T. after a nickname Steve Earle bestowed upon his son for most of his adolescence. The surviving Earle stated that this record was made as a way to cope with his son’s loss, as he “loved Justin Townes Earle more than anything else on this earth.”

Photo Credit: Owen Ela