Luke Bell was born in 1990 and became a prominent country musician and singer-songwriter in his early 20s. According to a 2015 piece in Rolling Stone magazine, Bell played “classic honky-tonk with a wink and a yodel that summons the sleeping ghosts of country better than any voodoo spell ever could.”
Bell’s self-titled debut album in 2012 was well received by patrons and critics.
Bell released a second full-length album in 2014, titled “Don’t Mind If I Do.”
Bell was reported missing in August. After more than a week of searching, his body was found on Aug. 26.
On Tuesday, the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in Arizona released the autopsy report.
The report shows that Bell, 32, died of a fentanyl overdose. The autopsy finding was first reported in The Sun. The report noted that drug paraphernalia was found near Bell’s body.
The report also noted that Bell suffered from arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and that the overdose was likely accidental.
The New York Post has reached out to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for comment but has not yet received a reply.
According to TMZ, a stranger found Bell unresponsive in a shaded area of a parking lot.
Bell was reported missing on Aug. 20. At the time, he was in Tucson with fellow country singer Matt Kinman. They were visiting Kinman’s family and scheduled to perform a concert.
Bell’s manager, Brian Buchanan, told TMZ that Bell found it difficult to cope with his bipolar disorder and had gone missing for days at a time several times in the past.
Buchanan said: “Luke fought this as hard as he could, but the disease got the better of him. When he was beating the disease, he was the sweetest and most generous guy. He’s found peace now and there’s some comfort.”
Friend and fellow country singer Matt Kinman told police that there was a recent adjustment in Bell’s medication — suggesting that that might have “played a role” in his disappearance, but did not elaborate further.
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