Trans-Siberian Orchestra Founder Paul O’Neill Died from an Accidental Overdose of Prescription Medications

The toxicology report is in for Paul O’Neill, the late founder, producer, and leader of the massively popular Trans-Siberian Orchestra… and it turns out that O’Neill’s was another tragically avoidable death.

According to TMZ, O’Neill’s autopsy report “says he died of intoxication from a mix of methadone, codeine, diazepam (generic Valium) and doxylamine (an antihistamine).” O’Neill was also suffering from “mild heart disease, hypertension and moderate hardening of the arteries.” The above-mentioned drugs are not, to the best of my knowledge, used to treat any of those conditions; in fact, methadone is sometimes used to wean opioid addicts off of codeine. So who knows what the heck was going on.

When O’Neill passed away in April at age sixty-one, Trans-Siberian Orchestra released a statement saying O’Neill had died from an unspecified “chronic illness.”

We’ll share any additional information if/when it becomes available.

[via The PRP]