As of Tuesday afternoon, August 26th, authorities have yet to release information on the cause of the bizarre death of Dr. Dre’s 20-year-old son Andre Young, Jr. Young’s autopsy was scheduled for Monday afternoon. Authorities state that they have no reason to believe that foul play was involved, but details surrounding the death have been sketchy.
Andre Young Jr., son of Grammy award winning rap and hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre, was found dead in his home in Woodland Hills, California on Saturday morning, August 23rd, according to the LA Times. Young’s mother reported to police that she entered his bedroom around 10:30am on Saturday morning and found him lying in bed unresponsive. She tried to rouse him, but was unsuccessful. Young’s mother called paramedics who attempted to revive him, but Young remained unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Dr. Dre’s son was 20 years old.
Young’s mother reported that she heard her son return home around 5:30am on Saturday morning after socializing with friends the previous evening. Young was the second oldest of Dre’s five children.
As Young’s friends and family wait for answers in a seemingly bizarre and random death, speculation has surfaced as to whether or not Dr. Dre’s son’s death could be related to drug and alcohol youth. In the wake of the death of the death of Heath Ledger earlier this year, greater attention has been focused on the dangers of accidental overdose in the use of recreational and prescription medication. The coroner has not released any information to that effect regarding Dr. Dre’s son.
Dr. Dre, whose birth name is also Andre Young, was one of the founding members of Death Row Records. He gained fame as a member of the groundbreaking rap group N.W.A. Dr. Dre’s new album Detox is scheduled to be released in November. Dr. Dre has described “Detox” as a “concept album” and a “hip-hop musical”. If the death of Dr. Dre’s son is determined to be related to drug or alcohol use, the album will sure gain additional attention for its eerie and ironic relation to Dr. Dre’s son’s demise.
The speculation regarding Dr. Dre’ son’s drug and alcohol use is nothing more than that-speculation. No evidence about Young’s substance use or medical history have been released at thistime.
A statement was released by Dr. Dre’s publicist on Monday that simply stated: “Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young, Jr. Please respect his family’s grief and privacy at this time.” Information regarding funeral arrangements for Dr. Dre’s son have not yet been released.
Sources:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-me-dreson27-2008aug27,0,3967959.story
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Dre
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1593526/20080826/dr_dre.jhtml
