According to a forensic pathologist in Tucson, Arizona, country singer, and songwriter Luke Bell, who was born and reared in Wyoming, passed away from accidental fentanyl intoxication.
Last month, Bell, 32, passed away after going missing in the vicinity of Tucson. On August 20, he vanished, and six days later, his body was discovered.
According to an autopsy report from the Pima County Medical Examiner’s office, Bell was discovered in Tucson by onlookers who discovered him unconscious in a covered parking structure.
The study asserts this based on marks made by defibrillators, endotracheal tubes, and chest compressions on Bell’s torso.
Bell had no other visible symptoms of internal or external harm aside from those markings.
The postmortem report states that Bell’s blood alcohol level was.076, as determined by toxicology. 21 nanograms of fentanyl were found in every milliliter of his blood.
Open investigation
The investigation into Bell’s death and the six days leading up to it is still ongoing, according to Sgt. Richard Gradillas of the Tucson Police Department.
Gradillas alleged that for the six days he was missing, authorities were looking for him. He acknowledged that he did not know how long Bell had been dead before being discovered, but added that cops had carried out the life-saving techniques the medical examiner had noted in Bell’s physical markings.
Luke Bell was located on his own.
Gradillas stated that he was unsure of the amount of fentanyl Bell would have needed to ingest to reach his level of toxicity, but that it doesn’t take much to kill or gravely injure a person.
Something as simple as a pen tip can kill you while using fentanyl, he claimed. It is a lethal substance.
Western Voice
Fans of country music were shocked by Bell’s untimely passing around the country, but particularly in Wyoming, where he is well-known.
Bell was recalled as a vivacious young guy who “lit up a room” whenever he entered when the word of his passing spread.
According to Kalyn Beasley, a fellow musician from Cody who grew up directly across the street from Bell, Bell started playing bars in college.
Beasley previously told Cowboy State Daily that Luke “probably wasn’t particularly interested in going to class, like a lot of us musicians.” Therefore, he started playing gigs and bars.
While in Laramie, according to Beasley, Bell started train-hopping, traveling by train to the subsequent town, gig, or adventure.
You know, there are people who do that, Beasley added. They travel by train, make songs about it, perform traditional tunes, and live off the grid. Luke was acting in that way.
Before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 2010s, Bell began his musical career in Austin, Texas.
Mike Vanata, a classmate from high school, stated, “I didn’t know he was musically talented until he got back after living in Austin. And he simply returned with an abundance of tunes that related to his storyline. And I was completely amazed.
“Don’t Mind If I Do,” Bell’s debut Nashville album, was released in 2014. After signing with the Thirty Tigers record company, he released his second self-titled album, “Luke Bell,” in 2016. Prior to the release of “Jealous Guy” in 2021, he took a brief hiatus from the music industry.