Gerald Levert

He was going to be my husband- he just didnt have the chance to know it yet. I will certainly miss him...

CLEVELAND -- The Geauga County coroner said Friday that local R&B star Gerald Levert's death was a result of a terrible accident.
The coroner confirmed to NewsChannel5 that Levert's death was caused by a combination of over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
Levert's death has now officially been ruled an accident. In a seven-page report released to NewsChannel5, the coroner said that a deadly mixture of drugs was found in his system.
The coroner said the drugs included powerful painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet, and the tranquilizers Valium and Xanax were also present in his bloodstream.
Coroner Kevin Chartran said that Levert was also suffering from pneumonia at the time of his death in November, which was why Levert was also taking antihistamines.
Chartran said the combination of six different drugs proved to be fatal.
"It's not clear when these were taken. We're not sure if they were taken all at once or over the course of a day. But the levels were high enough and there was acute intoxication, which likely stopped him from breathing," Chartran said.
The autopsy was conducted by the Cuyahoga County coroner's office, but because Levert died at his Geauga County home it was up to the Geauga County coroner to issue the report. Levert was 40 years old.
Levert's family released the following statement regarding the coroner's report:
"Gerald had several health issues including recovering from a severed Achilles tendon and lingering shoulder pain, among other things, that required him to take prescribed pain medications. We had no idea that this would be the cause of his death. Unfortunately, we can't turn back the hands of time, for if we could, he may still be with us today. We accept what has been reported and thank all of Gerald's family, friends and fans for their continual outpouring of love for our loss."