Actor and musician Cody Longo died in Austin, Texas, earlier this year, reportedly of chronic alcohol use.
The exact cause of the “Hollywood Heights” and “Days of Our Lives” actor’s death was described as “chronic ethanol abuse,” with the manner of his death ruled as natural, according to a Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office report obtained by TMZ. (Ethanol is the main chemical compound found in alcoholic drinks.)
Representatives for the medical examiner’s office were not immediately available Monday to respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Longo’s death was announced in February after Austin police officers found the 34-year-old actor unresponsive on his bed inside his apartment, according to the actor’s representative and friend Alex Gittelson. Longo’s wife, who had been working at a dance studio, alerted authorities after she struggled to reach him.
At the time of his death, family members, who referred to Longo as “the best dad and best father,” reported that the actor had dealt with alcoholism and underwent rehab the previous summer. A representative for Longo’s family wasnot immediately available Monday to comment.
Longo started acting as a teenager and found his big break as a recurring character in the teen drama “Make It or Break It” in 2009. He is best known for his roles in the NBC and now-Peacock soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” appearing in eight episodes in 2011. He also appeared as rock star Eddie Duran in the Nick at Nite show “Hollywood Heights.”
In recent years, Longo — who was at times credited as Cody Anthony — stepped aside from acting to pursue his music career and spend more time with family in Nashville, Gittelson said.
“We had kept in touch regularly and he was excited to get back into acting this year,” he said in an email. “Cody was such a loyal, loving and talented person and he will be greatly missed.”
The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office said that since 2015, 9% to 10% of natural deaths processed by their department are attributed to chronic alcohol abuse. Nationwide, more than 140,000 people died from alcohol-related causes of death, the fourth leading preventable cause of death, behind tobacco, poor diet and physical inactivity, and illegal drugs, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
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