Justin Townes Earle Death Ruled Accidental Overdose, Family Reveals
Singer, songwriter, and second generation performer Justin Townes Earle died of an accidental drug overdose, the Medical Examiners Office in Nashville has ruled, and the family of Justin Townes Earle revealed on Tuesday (12/1).
“Three months after we lost Justin, the medical examiner has concluded that the cause of his death was an accidental drug overdose,” the family says. “Next to alcohol and cocaine the autopsy report revealed traces of fentanyl indicating that that usage of fentanyl laced cocaine resulted in an overdose.”
Justin Townes Earle was found dead at the age of 38 on August 23rd. Metro Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron explained on August 25th that police and fire had responded to Earle’s apartment in the West End Park neighborhood of Nashville after receiving a request for a welfare check from a friend. When police arrived at the residence, they had to force entry into the residence, and found no signs of struggle or foul play in the apartment. Police preliminarily determined Earle’s cause of death to be a “probable drug overdose,” citing the conditions in which they found Earle, though giving no specifics about how they came to that determination.
“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 from the family continues. “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.”
The statement continues, “Although legal, and available nearly everywhere, alcohol is a psychoactive, neurotoxic addictive narcotic. The effects of continual, long term alcohol intake is deadly. Addiction is a disease and there are many avenues and treatments to become and stay free from alcohol and drug usage. If you or a loved one are struggling with substance addiction please know that you’re not alone and reach out for help. Don’t lose hope. With love and health, Team JTE.”
Justin Townes Earle was the son of alt-country pioneer Steve Earle, and was married in October of 2013 to Jenn Marie Maynard. The couple had a daughter in June of 2017 named Etta. A public memorial service is said to be in the works for 2021. Steve Earle recently announced a tribute album to Justin called J.T. set to be released on January 4th, 2021.
READ: Justin Townes Earle on What to Say to Someone Struggling with Drugs
December 1, 2020 @ 1:20 pm
I don’t know how they came to the conclusion that he was using cocaine laced with fentanyl. It seems absurd a dealer would lace cocaine with an opiate unless they were trying to kill their users. It would seem far more likely he bought heroin that was laced with or entirely composed of fentanyl, or he was just using fentanyl and screwed up the dose.
December 1, 2020 @ 1:41 pm
Yeah, the media always report medical examiner reports as if they’re absolutely authoritative. In the real world, if a criminal case hinges on a medical examiner report, there’s usually an expert examiner on the other side testifying that the official examiner got it wrong.
Just call Michael Baden or Cyril Wecht.
December 1, 2020 @ 2:06 pm
Just for the record here, I am not reporting that Justin was using cocaine laced with fentanyl, and neither is the Medical Examiner. The toxicology report states that Justin Townes Earle had high levels of both cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of his death, and trace amounts of fentanyl. The statement from Justin Townes Earle’s team/family is where the information, or speculation he was using cocaine laced with trace amounts of fentanyl is coming from. I’m not sure how they are coming to that conclusion, whether it is something from the toxicology report, or perhaps they tested the drugs found on the scene and determined that.
December 1, 2020 @ 1:50 pm
I guess they could have found a bag of cocaine next to him that contained small amounts of fentanyl so disregard my comment. It just seems like a razor blades in apples thing that never actually happens.
December 1, 2020 @ 10:07 pm
A buddy of mine is a county cop. He told me that almost all “cocaine” they seize now is partially or entirely fentanyl. The junkies have no idea what they are buying.
December 2, 2020 @ 2:29 am
This exact same thing happened to my buddy a couple years ago.
Maybe it got contaminated. Maybe some jackass wanted to make the coke more addictive, and got the dose wrong.
Either way, it happens a lot.
December 2, 2020 @ 10:43 am
OK, you all convinced me. if I decide to become a hard drug user, I’m going to first take some chemistry classes and buy some lab equipment so that I can test everything before I ingest it.
December 1, 2020 @ 1:39 pm
Adding fentanyl to cocaine is hardly accidental.
December 1, 2020 @ 3:13 pm
Adding Fentanyl to cocaine cuts corners for the supplier. A cheap additive that cheapens the cost of making coke while maintaining high yield$ of return.
December 1, 2020 @ 4:02 pm
Exactly everything you said. This isn’t the first case of this happening nor will it be the last. May be a shocker to some people but your average drug dealer has no idea how the stuff is made just that they got it and need to move it as quick as possible.
December 2, 2020 @ 2:41 am
Yup – a friend of mine OD’d on fentanyl-laced coke a couple years ago…and the guy he bought it from was devastated.
Piece of shit drug dealer, sure…but he never sold opioids, and didn’t know the coke was laced.
December 1, 2020 @ 4:46 pm
As it was suspected but does not it make it easier. This is the proverbial salt in the wound.
I hope this gives some closure to his family.
Rest Easy
December 1, 2020 @ 6:10 pm
One of my neighbors was found dead this afternoon.
Suicide or murder.
Made a bunch of chocolate chip cookies for him 2 weeks ago. Asked when was the last time he had a home cooked meal.
He said it had been years. He was 20.
Twenty.
Told him i would make a big Thanksgiving dinner, & he could bring anybody and everybody he wanted.
(Had spent 4 days with lots of family and friends, the weekend before).
T.J. said he wouldn’t be here Thanksgiving, because he was moving. Asked if it was safe where he was moving. He said yes.
Am undone.
Am totally fucking undone
December 1, 2020 @ 6:45 pm
Thats hard. But much respect to you for trying to help the guy. You did more than your share. Even if things didn’t work out, you did well.
I wish I could help, but sometimes there are no words.
December 1, 2020 @ 6:53 pm
♥️
December 2, 2020 @ 12:25 am
That’s so devastating, Di. Thank you for sharing love and light with him, and I will be praying for you and his loved ones.
December 2, 2020 @ 12:50 am
So sorry to hear this, Di. I’m sure your kindness and your cookies were a wonderful addition to this poor kids life. Sending you love x
December 2, 2020 @ 5:56 am
Thank you, you guys.
So overwhelmingly sad for T.J.
Going to put some kind of Christmas lights outside today, hoping that T.J. will be able to see them from wherever he is
December 2, 2020 @ 8:07 am
You’re a good egg Di.
December 2, 2020 @ 8:03 am
Di, So sorry. And so kind of you to reach out.
Thoughts with you.
December 1, 2020 @ 6:33 pm
Play with fire and you will end up burned.
Cautionary tale.
December 1, 2020 @ 7:16 pm
Goddamn it. GODDAMN IT. That’s the same way Mac Miller died. I know most people who read this site probably won’t know him or his work, but he was a brilliant artist. Not just a rapper, but an all around great musician and songwriter. I hope the people who supplied him get thrown in jail for a long time. Another exceptional artist gone way too soon to addiction. RIP JTE.
December 1, 2020 @ 11:49 pm
I know the name because I’m from Pittsburgh and Scott Mervis from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette writes an article a week about Miller. But, I didn’t expect to see his name used in a JTE article.
December 2, 2020 @ 8:00 am
K.I.D.S. was a summer SOUNDTRACK, back in HS.
December 2, 2020 @ 3:50 pm
I ran across this today
“Nobody wants to kill off their customer. Nobody’s trying to put fentanyl in their shit to get their coke customers [to switch] over to heroin when their business is coke,” he says, especially since there’s a chance that combination could kill them. The more likely culprit, he continues, is accidental cross-contamination.
It goes like this: Dealers rush the cleanup, sloppily wiping down the area with a rag, which means traces of fentanyl remain. Then they begin to cut and package another product — in this case, cocaine — on the same table, with the same tools.
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-fentanyl-is-contaminating-america-s-cocaine-supply
December 3, 2020 @ 3:19 am
Yeah, especially since wholesalers’ client is the dealer, so it doesn’t actually matter to them if the dealers accidentally kill a few clients.