‘NYPD Blue’ Child Star Austin Majors Cause of Death Revealed

Former child actor Austin Majors’ cause of death was announced on Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. They found that Majors died of an accidental fentanyl overdose. They found that his body contained toxic levels of the deadly drug at the time of his death.

Majors was best known for playing Theo Sipowicz, the son of Detective Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) on NYPD Blue – a role he held for seven years from 1999 to 2004. Majors continued to act for several years after that but soon fell on hard times. According to a report by Deadline, he was photographed living in a homeless shelter in early February of 2023. On Feb. 11, he died there of what investigators now feel confident was an accidental overdose. He was 27 years old at the time.

Majors was born Austin Setmajor, and resumed using his original surname after he stopped acting. After leaving NYPD Blue in 2004 he had roles on shows including According to Jim, Desperate Housewives, An Accidental Christmas and How I Met Your Mother. He made his last credited appearance in 2009 on How I Met Your Mother Season 4, Episode 22, playing a childhood friend of Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) in a flashback.

Majors’ family issued a public statement at the time of his death back in February. They remembered him as “a loving, artistic, brilliant, and kind human being… Austin took great joy and pride in his acting career. From the time he was little, he never knew a stranger and his goal in life was to make people happy. He grew up in a small town where he loved camping and fishing with his family and Boy Scout Troop. He loved his dog, Sunny, and the horse he grew up riding, Balla. He graduated Salutatorian in High School while being an active Eagle Scout and member of the community. He went on to graduate from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a passion of directing and music producing.”

Fentanyl poisoning has become a common factor in drug overdoses over the last few years. According to the CDC, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is exponentially more potent than medical-grade morphine or even illegally produced heroin. There are some pharmaceutical uses for fentanyl that take advantage of its extreme potency, but the drug has also been synthesized illegally, and that is the version typically involved in deadly overdoses.

The CDC offers a few signs to look for if you suspect someone is having a drug overdose, including sudden unconsciousness, limp muscles, slow or weak breathing and discolored skin. If you believe you are witnessing an overdose your first response should be to call 9-1-1, then try to keep the person awake and turn them on their side to avoid choking. Visit the CDC’s website for more information on fentanyl and overdoses in general.