Tom Petty, the singer and guitarist whose influential music spanned four decades, died in October from an accidental drug overdose as a result of mixing medications involving opioids, his family announced Friday.
Source: Washington Post
Previously: US Rock Star Tom Petty Dies Aged 66
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US rock star Tom Petty, famous for classics such as Free Fallin', Refugee and American Girl, has died at the age of 66.
The singer-songwriter passed away on Monday night at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles after he suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu, California, spokeswoman Carla Sacks said.
Petty "died peacefully" at 8:40pm (03:40 GMT onTuesday) "surrounded by family, his bandmates, and friends," a statement from his longtime manager Tony Dimitriades said.
More sad news in a week full of sad news.
(Score: 2) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Sunday January 21 2018, @05:32AM (8 children)
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday January 21 2018, @05:52AM (7 children)
And who's to say it was accidental.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @06:35AM (3 children)
Because that's what all the contracts require.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday January 21 2018, @07:30AM (2 children)
More likely, the life insurance companies..
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @04:09PM (1 child)
... so that they don't have to pay anything.
The lawyers are the ones saying it was accidental, because of the CONTRACTS with the life insurance companies, etc.
Get it yet?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @05:04PM
Many insurance companies do pay out for suicide. They just don't pay out if it happens within X years.
In the USA seems X = 2 typically.
http://time.com/money/3117698/how-life-insurance-policies-deal-with-suicide/ [time.com]
In my country the standard seems to be 1 year. Seems like it's also 1 year in the UK: https://www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/news/city-high-flyer-planned-his-death-1-998350 [leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk]
Seems in Japan it's two years: http://www.japansubculture.com/killing-yourself-to-make-a-living-in-japan-financial-social-incentives-keep-suicide-rates-high/ [japansubculture.com]
But do check your contracts carefully first before trying to suicide for insurance money. There have been cases where people committed suicide for insurance money but their policy had expired or doesn't pay out in event of a suicide.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @06:02PM (2 children)
Having known quite a large number of a addicts, every last one 'knows'. They just 'know' how much they can handle. The ones who have been doing it for years are the worst offenders too. They just 'know'.
Many have little clue what the meds they are doing actually do. They know the side effects they are after but pay little to no attention to all the other effects.
So a 'heavy weight' like him doing something accidental? Very possible, in fact likely. Usually it happens when they have been off a particular med for a bit and try to go back to whatever they were doing before.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 22 2018, @05:40AM (1 child)
Many have little clue what the meds they are doing actually do
This is what happens when you have puritanical laws that make certain substances illegal.
You lose control of quality.
Janis Joplin shot contaminated dope and died from the heavy metal impurities.
Jazz guitarist Emily Remler had been buying stuff that was stepped on several times and when she got some stuff that was more pure than usual, she used the usual volume and OD'd fatally.
God damn the racist bluenose busybodies who push prohibition.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 22 2018, @09:56PM
Typically their noses are red due to the hypocrisy of alcohol not being a "drug".
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @09:06AM
News at 11...
(Score: 4, Informative) by canopic jug on Sunday January 21 2018, @09:50AM (4 children)
From the article:
In other words he was killed by big pharma.
The difference between a safe dose of fentanyl and a deadly overdose is microscopic. It is responsible for a large, growing number of deaths [washingtonpost.com] and not just from the legally available supply but also from the street. However, even sticking with the legal supplies, it is still responsible for a growing number of deaths because people get so easily hooked on it and doctors are pushing it at the behest of big pharma. It's addictiveness is part of what makes it so profitable to them.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by turgid on Sunday January 21 2018, @01:59PM
I had Fentanyl when I had my wisdom teeth out about ten years ago, on the NHS. The anesthetist came round to talk to me before the operation. He wouldn't give me a general anesthetic, and insisted on giving me a local one and what he referred to as, "The best gin and tonic in town, but I'm afraid we can't let you take it home with you."
It felt absolutely amazing, not thrilling, but the sense of peace was incredible. I had tried to explain to him before that I really shouldn't be conscious or I'd probably vomit. Well, I went to retch and in under a second had swapped the Fentanyl for what I assume was adrenaline and I sat bolt upright. The nausea went away.
I looked up what Fentanyl was on the Internet afterwards, and I was very surprised when I found out what it was. Blimey, it's potent stuff.
During the operation I felt no pain, but I could hear the ripping noise as my teeth were pulled out. I was talking all through it.
Afterwards, the sockets got infected before they healed up, and I had to get antibiotics and painkillers, and was off work. I was prescribed co-codamol by the doctor. You can get it over the counter, but it's not as strong as the stuff you get on prescription. It contains paracetamol and codeine, another opiate. It certainly kept the pain under control, but came with all the warnings about causing addiction.
After the prescription co-codamol ran out, I still needed some because ordinary paracetamol wasn't string enough. I got some of the less strong stuff and took it for a few more days until the infection went and the pain subsided.
Then I started getting very bad tempered, angry and impatient. I found myself reaching for co-codamol for no apparent reason. Then it occurred to me what might be going on. So over the next few days, until the co-codamol ran out, I took some at regular intervals to begin with, reducing the dose and increasing the intervals until it ran out and I was back to normal.
I'll stick to beer and wine.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday January 21 2018, @09:44PM (2 children)
This is Tom Petty we're talking about. He was in no way coerced to take drugs.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday January 21 2018, @11:16PM
Recently had a big discussion with friends about this, citing the death of Michael Jackson in particular.
Jackson was administered IV bags of Propafol. When you want to ingest a drug of extraordinary magnitude here, you either buy it on the street or, if you're a celebrity, find a doctor who's willing to turn a profit prescribing wealthy drug-seekers what they want. And there are a lot of those out there.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by canopic jug on Monday January 22 2018, @06:02AM
In his case it was just the small difference between a theraputic dose and a lethal dose that got him. He was in real pain from a broken hip and that's what caused the prescription. However, if he had gone on longer there would be little chance that he would avoid addiction. Depending on his type of character he might recognize it and fight it off or maybe not, but with these new kinds of (legal) drugs that is most likely what will happen.
There are a great many articles on synthetic opiods causing addiction [usatoday.com] however they go to great lengths to avoid the reality that most are introduced to people legally and that they only move to the street when the legal supply is cut off. I knew a regular person who was prescribed these and when the prescription ran out, they checked as many pharmacies as they could for an over-the-counter equivalent before going back to the doctor for a refill. The doctor was more than willing to write the refill prescription however when she heard the story about scrounging in the pharmacies, she backed off and refused. They argued a bit about that but she remained steadfast. In restrospect it might possibly have saved that persons life. It certainly avoided a lot of trouble and distress.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @12:35PM (3 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 21 2018, @03:29PM (2 children)
How does "Drowned in own vomit dept" work for you?
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday January 21 2018, @11:18PM
Jimi Hendrix, being a Black man, wrote "Purple Haze" because he took a bunch of opiates and puked up the skunk cabbage he loved to eat while recovering from drug binges. It's a goddamn shame he didn't survive the second round.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 22 2018, @05:56AM
Hendrix has been mentioned.
Bon Scott was another (drugs).
John Bonham was another (booze).
Swing Era trombonist and bandleader Tommy Dorsey ate a big meal, took a prescription downer, and went to bed.
When he barfed up his meal, like the others, he aspirated it and was too bombed to cough it out.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]