Vocalist Riley Gale (L) and bassist Chris Whetzel of Power Trip perform in concert at ACL Live on February 8, 2016 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Rick Kern/WireImage)
Power Trip frontman Riley Gale has now confirmed to have passed away from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Reported by MetalSucks, the initial cause was unknown but has been confirmed after the media outlet followed up with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office. Gale, who was 34 when he was found unresponsive in his home last August, had three times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system along with traces of marijuana according to his toxicology report.
Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, meaning even a few grains of salt worth can be fatal. The drug was developed in the 60’s for sever pain management, but has since been sold illegally and combined with other illicit drugs. In the last decade the United States has seen a huge surge in opioid deaths. Fentanyl overdoses alone jumped from 2,666 in 2011 to 31,335 in 2018 according to the DEA. Prince, Tony Petty, and Paul Gray are just a few of the other artists who have overdosed on the substance.
Gale was known not only for his music, but also for his charity work and a transitional LGBTQ youth home in the band’s hometown of Dallas, Texas was recently named in his honor.
