5 Black Celebrities Whose Lives Were Cut Short Due to Fentanyl

Use of the drug fentanyl has become a crisis, touching every corner of the country. According to the CDC, 76 percent of drug-related deaths were due to opioid overdoses.

Usually prescribed to patients dealing with extreme pain, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is one hundred times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Because of its potency, just a small dose of the drug can be deadly. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a dose as small as 2 mg can have fatal consequences.

Ice-T is trying to shine a light on the fentanyl crisis in America as the host of a new A&E original documentary, “Fame and Fentanyl.” Premiering on Aug. 25, the doc takes an in-depth look at the impact the dangerous drug is having on the country, including the lives it tragically cut short.

“Everyone knows someone who has fallen victim to fentanyl,” the rapper-actor said in a trailer for the doc.

In addition to countless families who have suffered the loss of a loved one to fentanyl-related deaths, the crisis has taken a toll on celebrities as well. Here are some Black celebrities who died too soon due to complications from fentanyl use.

Prince

Music legend Prince died at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota in 2016 at age 57. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the “Purple Rain” artist’s cause of death was the result of “fentanyl toxicity.”

“The amount in his blood is exceedingly high, even for somebody who is a chronic pain patient on fentanyl patches,” Dr. Lewis Nelson, chairman of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, told the AP at the time.

Michael K. Williams

Actor Michael K. Williams was found dead in his New York City apartment in 2021 due to an accidental overdose on fentanyl-laced heroin. Williams, who was best known for playing Omar Little on the hit HBO series “The Wire” was 54 years old.

Coolio

“Gangster’s Paradise” rapper Coolio died at a friend’s home on September 28, 2022, at age 59. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s report, the cause of death was listed as due the “effects of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.” The GRAMMY winner was also suffering from heart disease and asthma, according to ABC News Los Angeles.

Shock G

Shock G was a founding member of quirky 90s rap group Digital Underground, best known for their 1990 hit song, “The Humpty Dance.” The rapper, whose real name was Gregory Jacobs, died at age 57 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, ethanol and methamphetamine in 2021.

Bobby Brown Jr.

The family of R&B hitmaker Bobby Brown suffered a painful loss when his son, Bobby Brown Jr., died in November 2020 at age 28, just five years after his half-sister Bobby Christina Brown’s untimely death. The coroner’s report concluded that Brown’s death was caused by an overdose of alcohol, cocaine and fentanyl.