Avenged Sevenfold drummer's cause of death an 'accidental overdose'

Rolling Stone has reported that late Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died of “an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol”.

According to Orange County Deputy Coroner Mitchell Sigal, toxicology reports indicate that Sullivan suffered "acute polydrug intoxication due to combined effects of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Diazepam/Nordiazepam and ethanol."

This mixture of painkillers, anxiety medications and ethanol (the intoxicant in alcohol) is similar to the combination that led to the death of actor Heath Ledger in 2008.

Sullivan also had a condition known as cardiomegaly (an enlarged heart) that was identified in the coroner’s report as a "significant condition" that could have contributed to his death.

"To all of us who loved Jimmy, the only thing relevant about December 28 is that is the night we lost, too soon, a son, brother, friend and one of the most talented artists in the world,” the band's manager Larry Jacobson told Rolling Stone. "Every day, his parents and sisters, and his brothers in Avenged Sevenfold smile at the many memories they have of Jimmy and his fans around the world revel in the musical legacy he left them."

The skilled drummer contributed to four of Avenged Sevenfold's studio albums — 2001's Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, 2003's Waking the Fallen, 2005's breakthrough City of Evil and 2007's Avenged Sevenfold.

Sullivan died at his home in Huntington Beach, California on December 28, 2009.

Read the entire Rolling Stone article here.