Los Angeles Angels Pitcher Tyler Skaggs' Cause of Death Creates Confusion With Return of 'RIP 45' Hashtag

Much like it did when the news broke back in July, the "RIP 45" hashtag has once against confused some folks on social media. The tag is meant to be a tribute to late Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who wore number 45 on the team. But for many, they felt it was a reference to our current president and another "45," Donald J. Trump.

When you log on to twitter and #RIP45 is trending, but it’s not about Donald Trump: pic.twitter.com/R9sUB0GHEn

— Ryan Knight 🗽 (@ProudResister) August 31, 2019

The difference this time is the tone of the tribute for Skaggs and the circumstances it comes by. The autopsy and cause of death for the pitcher was finally released, giving fans some closure about what ended the pitcher's life while raising questions to how he managed to get his hands on the drugs that led to his demise. Skaggs had "a mix of fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol" in his system according to ABC News, leading to him choking on vomit. Officials ruled the pitcher's death an accident, but allegations have surfaced that an employee of the team could be involved.

Online, many were mixed about the cause of death while still showing support to the late pitcher and his family using the hashtag.

"Terrible news to hear about the cause of Tyler Skaggs's death. Opioids are a serious epidemic in this country and hopefully that changes," one fan wrote on Twitter. "Unfortunately it claimed the life of another young man with a promising future."

We all need to be taking better care of each other. Even the seemingly most happy people can be going through pain we can't see, and the world needs to be a little kinder, instead of more brutal. #RIP45

— TJ Elliott (@TJElliott44) August 30, 2019

"Addiction is no joke. Peace to the Skaggs family," another added.

"My utmost condolences to the friends and family of Tyler Skaggs, but dear god almighty we could've used a better hashtag than [RIP45]," a third fan added, noting the confusing hashtag.

"Today's news doesn't change my opinion of or feelings about him. It sounds like it was the 1st time he had ever been involved with those things. The fact he drank alcohol with them shows his naive about them," another fan added.

Still, the hashtag was full with critics of the president and some even taking it to extremes. This also brought on supporters who looked to single out the critics and label them as "the radical left."

Luckily most were focused on the loss of Skaggs and the clarity MLB fans have over the circumstances of his death.