Luke Bell’s cause of death has been revealed, after he was found dead on 29 August in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 32.
The country singer had been reported missing for several days and was believed to have been in Tucson for a concert.
Bell’s body was found six days later in a parking structure and his death was confirmed to the blog Saving Country Music by Bell’s close friend Matt Kinman.
Now, according to a recent autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist, the musician died of accidental fentanyl poisoning.
“With fentanyl, something as small as a pen tip can kill you,” Sergeant Richard Gradillas of the Tucson Police Department told Cowboy State Daily. “It is a deadly drug.”
The investigation into the musician’s death remains open, as police are trying to figure out his whereabouts during the days leading up to his death. It is uncertain how long he had been dead before his body was found.
Originally from Cody, Wyoming, Bell got his break in country music when he signed a record deal with Nashville-based label Thirty Tigers in 2016.
Bell released his first self-titled album in 2012, before bringing out Don’t Mind If I Do in 2014.
During his career, he worked with artists such as Alabama Shakes, Margo Price and Langhorne Slim and played support slots for Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam.
In 2018, he won Best Honky Tonk Male at the Ameripolitan Music Awards.