Cooper Noriega Cause of Death Released

TikTok star Cooper Noriega died from an accidental drug overdose. More than six months after Noriega was found dead in a Burbank, California, parking lot in June at the age of 19, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner released the teen’s cause of death.

According to the report, per PEOPLE, the medical examiner determined that Noriega passed away from the combined effects of fentanyl, lorazepam (a sedative commonly used to treat anxiety), and alprazolam (Xanax). The report also listed the social media star’s recent use of clonazepam, an anxiety medicine, as another significant condition that contributed to his death. Noriega’s death was ruled an accident, and the coroner confirmed that he died in a parking lot.

Noriega, a TikTok star who boasted nearly 2 million followers on the app, was pronounced dead on June 9, just three weeks before his 20th birthday, after a passerby called 911 after discovering the teen unconscious in a mall parking lot outside Los Angeles. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, TMZ reported. At the time, his cause of death was deferred, meaning “that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation,” a Los Angeles Medical Examiner-Coroner spokesperson told PEOPLE.

Just hours before his passing, Noriega shared a cryptic video with the caption, “Who else b thinking they gon die young af.” Days earlier, he opened up about his struggles with addiction and mental health, telling his followers in a June 5 Instagram post, “I’ve been struggling with addiction since I was 9 years old, you may think that’s crazy but that’s the life I’ve been dealt.” He went on to share that he wanted “to use the influence I’ve been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalizing talking about mental illness” and hoped to eventually “open a rehab” where patients “aren’t traumatized” after their experience.

Noriega boasted nearly 2 million TikTok followers and more than 425,000 Instagram followers. Shortly after his passing, his father, Harold Noriega, broke his silence, writing on Facebook, “we lost our beautiful 19 year old Cooper last evening.” He said that his son “was loved by so many and truly the love of Treva’s, Parker’s and my life,” adding, “There are no words to express the grief and loss. It’s not supposed to be this way. Your child is not supposed to pass before his parents.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.