Accidental mix of prescription drugs killed Gerald Levert

by The Associated Press
Cleveland--R&B singer Gerald Levert’s death last fall was an accident caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs, a coroner said.

The drugs in his bloodstream included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet, along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines, Geauga County Coroner Kevin Chartrand said. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental.

Chartrand said his office received a report Thursday from the Cuyahoga County coroner’s office, which conducted the autopsy.

Levert, 40, son of O’Jays singer Eddie Levert, died November 10 in his suburban Cleveland home. He was a member of the R&B trio LeVert, whose hits included "(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind" and "Casanova." He sold millions of albums and had numerous hits over his career.

His soulful voice powered his appeal and in 1991, he made his solo debut with the album "Private Line." That included a hit duet with his dad, "Baby Hold on to Me."

Andy Gibson, a family spokesman, said Levert was taking the pain medication because of chronic pain from a lingering shoulder problem and surgery in 2005 to repair a severed Achilles tendon. The autopsy revealed that Levert had pneumonia.

Levert also took Xanax for anxiety attacks, Gibson said.

Agreement finally reached on burial of James Brown

by Katrina A. Goggins, Associated Press Writer
Columbia, South Carolina--The six adult children of singer James Brown have agreed with his partner, Tomi Rae Hynie, on where the entertainer will be buried, an attorney for the woman said Tuesday.

Hynie’s attorney, Robert Rosen, said the resting place is being kept confidential at the request of Brown’s children. Rosen said the burial might take place in the "next few days."

Brown died Christmas Day at age 73. His body is being kept in a confidential location, said Charles Reid, manager of the C.A. Reid Funeral Home in Augusta, Georgia, which handled Brown’s funeral.

He said he checked on Brown on Tuesday, opening the gold casket to view the body.

"I do that constantly," Reid said. "That’s the only way I can actually check him ... go in, open the casket and close it. And he’s fine."