Fentanyl has become the latest prescription painkiller to spark concerns, with a toxicity 100 times stronger than morphine-making the slightest change in dosage potentially deadly.Īs Petty’s death demonstrates, opioids are strong, dangerous and potentially deadly drugs. Petty’s tragic death highlights a growing crisis in North America: in 2016 alone, opioids contributed to an estimated 64,000 deaths in the United States, with a further 2,500 deaths in Canada, according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy.
Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.” “As a family we recognize this report may spark further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can save lives.
“We feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident,” Petty’s family wrote. Petty had been prescribed several different medications to deal with his ailments, including fentanyl patches. “It is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication,” Petty’s family wrote in the statement on his website.
Petty had been suffering from emphysema, knee issues and a fractured hip when he went on his final 53-date tour, and on the day that he died, he was told that the hip fracture had worsened into a full break. 19, Petty’s family released the results of the coroner’s report, sharing that Petty passed away due to an accidental drug overdose. Petty had said the tour would be his last around the country, according to Rolling Stone, but the iconic rocker seemed to be in relatively good health otherwise, leading many to wonder what ultimately led to his death. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was 66 years old when he passed away and had just wrapped up a 40th anniversary tour with his band, the Heartbreakers. It does not store any personal data.When Tom Petty died in October 2017, his death shook music fans around the world. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.