Actor Jackson Odell’s Death Confirmed As Accidental Drug Overdose

In June, actor Jackson Odell was found unresponsive in his living room at a sober living facility near Los Angeles. He later was pronounced dead by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office and — while the cause of death had not been identified — no foul play was suspected. Over two months later, the Coroner’s report indicated that the cause of death was “acute heroin and cocaine toxicity.” The death has been ruled as accidental.

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The 20-year-old actor was best known for his role on ABC’s The Goldbergs and made other television appearances on The Fosters, iCarly and Modern Family. Odell also starred as Zeke in the 2011 film Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer. He was also a musician. His YouTube channel  — with 40,000 subscribers — featured the young star singing both original and cover songs.

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Odell’s family released a statement in the wake of his autopsy report. The statement said that his family had seen him a few days before his death and that he was happy, optimistic and in love with life. “Jackson was more than his addiction. And although Jackson struggled only for a short time with his addiction, the evil seductress won. But that does not diminish the brilliantly talented musician and beautiful soul that Jackson was. He was an accomplished singer/songwriter and the world was just beginning to hear his talent.” The statement continued, “He wanted to live and to share the music that poured out of him. We have so many of his songs that no-one has heard yet. We hope to pull them all together and let the world learn about him through his incredible music and not just his unfortunate and untimely death.” Odell’s family also stated that they hoped that more research about addiction will solve the “pandemic” and prevent further tragedies.

Article by Samantha Rosalbo

Samantha has a B.A. in English Literature and the written word has always been her passion. When she's not reading or writing, Sam likes to consume and discuss all kinds of nerdy content and enjoy time with her friends and family. She lives in New York and is always ready for adventure.