Quiet Riot singer overdosed on cocaine

12/10/2007 8:47 PM, Reuters


Quiet Riot singer Kevin DuBrow, who was found dead at his Las Vegas home last month, was found to have died of an accidental cocaine overdose, the celebrity Web site TMZ.com said on Monday, citing Nevada authorities.

DuBrow's body was found November 25 and an autopsy conducted the following day could not determine the cause of death pending toxicology tests.

TMZ.com reported that the tests had shown his cause of death to be an accidental overdose of cocaine. A spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner's Office could not immediately be reached by Reuters for comment.

Founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, rock band Quiet Riot shot to the top of the Billboard charts with their 1983 album "Metal Health." It sold more than 6 million copies and is considered by many to be the first heavy metal record to top the pop charts.

The album's sales were spurred by the quartet's monster hit, a cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize," featuring DuBrow's powerhouse vocals, and the song's video, which was played in heavy rotation on MTV.

Quiet Riot's subsequent albums did not sell nearly as well and DuBrow was essentially fired from the band amid the ensuing rancor.

DuBrow regrouped Quiet Riot in the 1990s and the band has played sporadically, last releasing an album in October 2006.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Eric Walsh)