Jay Bennett autopsy: Accidental pain-killer overdose

now we know, thanks
stay classy chicago

It's not an accidental death. Bennett died because he didn't have health insurance, couldn't get his hip replaced and therefore was on pain meds to ease his suffering. Just a thought. Another needless death of an artist brought to you by the astronomical cost of health care in the U.S.

Mike N.

Please! This guy made enough money to take care of his responsibilities which includes purchasing health care coverage. Hell you can work at Starbucks and get coverage. Don't be a have not!!

Hip replacements are not caused by jumping up and down .. and medical insurance can be had for $500 a month ... chump change for recording artists

Umm...Dave, are you an expert on hip replacements? I know for a fact that the repetitive motion of jumping up and down can lead to this hip problem. Also $500 a month for health insurance is not chump change for struggling artists.....Most singer/songwriters don't get hardly anything from the records they make and if you're not that well known you don't make very much performing.

Who do you think Jay was John Mayer or someone like that??

Mike, I not dissing you, I was just wondering where you got this information?

Seriously, Steve and Dave, you are idiots. None of us know why Jay died, but how are you so presumptuous to think you know whether he could afford health insurance? Do you know how much Jay made? And where exactly was that income coming from? I hate it when people with no clue spout off about things they know nothing about. So ignorant.

Love,
a "recording artist" and friend of Jay's

Bennett was a drug addict .... and he overdosed. Don't make him out to be a saint here. He's dead because he was an idiot.

It is very hard to overdose on fentanyl. It is given via a patch and people have been known to die from faulty patches. It is actually given because it is difficult (but not impossible) to abuse. Don't judge if you don't know.

health insurance is not automatically granted even if you can afford a personal policy, all individual (as opposed to group) policies are medically underwritten and they can deny coverage based on what may be a pre-existing condition or health factors they consider unacceptable - i know since it's happened to me - and lots of other people

you can cut the fentanyl patch open and shot it up if you want to get high. i'm not saying that is what he did but i know people that do it........straight up idiots

BK - Did you mean to say it is very easy to abuse? It is classified as a class 2 narcotic, meaning it is very potent and has a high potential for abuse/addiction. It also can cause respiratory depression. This effect is magnified with alcohol consumption. It's entirely possible that a person using those patches have a moderate amount to drink and have tragic results. I wonder if any medical professional along the line told him not to have anything at all to drink.

For anyone to presume that Jay had a bunch of money is silly and clearly misguided. You did not know Jay nor do you have a grip on the realities of being a musician. Wilco wasn't huge when he was in the band and that was years ago. Also, to call someone an idiot because he overdosed is heartless. Does anyone have any empathy, or do we just need to make ourselves feel better by calling others names? Jay was a great guy and a talented man who was having a rough go of it and died, leaving lots of us feeling a loss. Can we just leave it at that and stop hating?

read this link about an epidemic of fentanyl overdose deaths

http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2008/fentanyl-overdose-outbreak.html

then apologize

nah, you'd rather cower in the anonymous internet.

Regardless, Jay Bennett's songs,performances and weaving of guitar melody's through progressions changed the way I play music. I will forever be in dept to his musical genius. He is deeply missed.

Bottom line is "he didn`t have health insurance" like 40 million others in this country. There is no reason for this.

I was a good friend of Jays.
1) he was not rich. In fact, he was in debt. he worked harder than anyone else I had ever worked with, but he was struggling, just like so many of us. Saying he should have gone and worked at Starrbucks is an insult to someone with his ability and resume.
2) He was the most talented guy I ever meet.
3) Jay had substance problems...addictive traits, etc ... yes, much of his money went to the wrong people and/or treatment centers, but it is a decease. if you don't understand the decease of addiction, go learn about it.
4) i would not be suprised if he did cut the patch open and ingest it that way ... but, thats what distructive people do.
My last words on the subject: I told jay, about 3 years ago (after Wilco) that he should leave the business and go teach college (he was a mathematical genius) or he would end up dead. He associated music/work/performance with drugs and that bond was never going to be broken. I wish he had listened.

"health insurance can be had for 500 a month"...listen to yourself moron....you make that sound reasonable....my best friend was diagnosed with lupis at 30 and had to move to costa rica in order to afford to live....best country in the world my foot