Wayne Static Died from Mixing Alcohol And Prescription Drugs

More than four months after his untimely passing at the age of forty-eight, the cause of Wayne Static’s death has been revealed… and, unfortunately, it’s a story we hear all too often in the metal world: the official coroner’s report lists the cause of Static’s death as “”mixed prescription drug (oxycodone, hydromorphone, alprazolam) with alcohol toxicity, hours, due to chronic prescription drug and alcohol abuse, years.”

Blabbermouth obtained a copy of the aforementioned report, excerpts from which follow below:

“On November 1, at approximately 0700 hours, [Wayne] and his wife went to bed. His wife stated that just prior to going to bed, he crushed one-half of a 30 mg oxycodone pill and consumed it. The oxycodone had been prescribed to his wife. He also drank an unknown amount of alcohol. His wife awoke at around 1530 hours. She found the decedent dead in the bed and called 911 at 1547 hours. Paramedics arrived and confirmed death at 1600 hours, noting rigor mortis and lividity. There was no evidence of foul play or any indication a struggle had taken place.”

“[Wayne‘s] wife said he took oxycodone, Xanax (alprazolam) and alcohol to relieve panic attacks. He took Xanax on a daily basis and was compliant with the prescribed dosage. His wife stated he would occasionally have his own prescription for oxycodone, but he would usually take hers. The decedent also had a history of gynecomastia… His wife stated both she and the decedent had a history of cocaine and ecstasy abuse, but they stopped using illicit drugs in 2009.

“The decedent’s mother stated he was a self-admitted alcoholic. She believed his drinking had been a problem for about two years. Both his wife and his mother stated that he was not suicidal.”

After Static’s passing, an official press release denied he was using any drugs…

“[Static and his wife, Tera Wray], known for partying heavy, had left hard drugs in 2009 and had not touched them since. Static’s first solo album – Pighammer – was a tribute to his new non-drug life and hoped it would help others to get clean from hard chemical drugs.”

…and Wray, who was married to Static for six years, publicly lashed out at everyone who immediately assumed that Static had overdosed (most specifically: Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix), asserting that “Wayne was not taking drugs.” I suspect Wray would argue that she meant “drugs” in terms of illicit chemicals which cannot be purchased even with a prescription (e.g., heroin, cocaine, etc.)… sadly, as we’ve learned from too-many celebrity deaths, prescription drugs are as dangerous as any other substance when utilized incorrectly.