Coroner: Pimp C Died of Accidental Cough Syrup Overdose, Sleep Apnea

Los Angeles coroners have determined that a combination of sleep apnea and cough syrup are responsible for the death of UGK's Pimp C, who was found dead in an L.A. hotel in December. The coroners also ruled that the death was accidental. Sleep apnea is a condition that blocks one's air passages, causing sufferers to briefly stop breathing while sleeping, while the prescription drug in question, Promethazine/Codeine, is a cough syrup combination that often appears in rap song lyrics (including Three 6 Mafia and UGK's own "Sippin' on Some Syrup"). Pimp C was thirty-three.

Related Stories:
• Pimp C Buried in Texas
• Bun B, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Three 6 Mafia Remember UGK's Pimp C (1974-2007)
• UGK's Pimp C Found Dead in Hollywood; Exclusive Statement From Bun B

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Great Gatsby' Is a Crushing Disappointment
• 
  TV Why You Should Watch 'Happy Endings'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter