Hatfield Had Cocaine in System

Bobby Hatfield's death was triggered by acute cocaine intoxication, according to the chief medical examiner for Kalamazoo County, Michigan, where the singer died in a hotel room on November 5th.

Hatfield, 63, was found dead just hours prior to a scheduled performance with Bill Medley, with whom he recorded and performed for more than four decades as the Righteous Brothers. An initial examination of Hatfield's body listed a heart attack, caused by advanced coronary disease, as the cause of death. But according to Dr. Richard Tooker, the official cause of death couldn't be determined until the results of the toxicology report were received. Tooker received the report on December 24th, but initially withheld the information out of respect for Hatfield's family during the holidays. Tooker spoke this week with the Kalamazoo Gazette and revealed his findings.

Medley, with whom Hatfield recorded eleven Top Forty singles (including two Number Ones), told the press that the results of the report "were a shock to me," and claimed that he had never known Hatfield to have any problems with drug abuse.

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Song Stories

“(We're Not) The Jet Set”

George Jones and Tammy Wynette | 1973

George Jones and Tammy Wynette were still married when they recorded the tongue-in-cheek "(We're Not) The Jet Set." The lyrics, written by Nashville songwriter Bobby Braddock, who also penned Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," make fun of the good life by declaring, "We're not the Jet Set/We're the old Chevrolet set." Braddock recalled that while writing the song, he needed the name of a city that evened out the rhyme he had with "Riviera" and "Missourah." “I got out a Rand McNally atlas," he said. "In the first part are the maps. The last part is an alphabetical listing of cities. I wanted a rustic, small-time sound. I went to the listing for Missouri. And I found 'Festus.' I loved the sound of it."

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