'Sons of Anarchy', 'Chernobyl Diaries' Fans Stunned by Dimitri Diatchenko's Cause of Death

Sons and Anarchy and Chernobyl Diaries fans are reacting after actor Dimitri Diatchenko's cause of [...]

By Allison Schonter

Sons and Anarchy and Chernobyl Diaries fans are reacting after actor Dimitri Diatchenko's cause of death was released by the Office of the Medical Examiner in Daytona Beach, Florida Wednesday. According to the report, which was released more than a month after his passing, the actor's death was an accident following ""illicit drug abuse with prescription drug use." His official cause of death is listed as a combination of fentanyl and diazepam toxicity, the report also noting that Diatchenko, 52, suffered from cardiomegaly — an enlarged heart — and had moderate coronary artery disease

At the time of his passing, reports suggested Diatchenko died from a heart attack or that his death was related to being shocked by 220 volts of electricity while on a construction job the previous week. The medical examiner's report excluded a delayed arrhythmia from the electrical shock as a cause of death and noted that he had long-standing prescriptions for hydrocodone and diazepam, but did not confirm a fentanyl prescription.

Diatchenko, a San Francisco native, had a long list of credits, including voicing characters in video games from the Red Alert, Iron Man, Call of Duty, and Tomb Raider franchises as well as characters on animated TV series such as Family Guy, The Wild Thornberries, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His other credits included G.I. Jane, Chernobyl Diaries, Alias, How I Met Your Mother, Bones, Sons of Anarchy, 2 Broke Girls, and General Hospital.

Fans, who were notably shocked following his April 21 passing, were stunned to learn of his cause of death, many taking to Twitter and other forms of social media. Keep scrolling to see how fans are reacting to the latest developments in Diatchenko's death.

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Several people also reacted in anger, stating that a drug overdose cannot possibly be "accidental," regardless of the medical examiner's ruling. In one comment on TMZ's story, someone wrote that "there are no 'Accidental' deaths on Heroin or Fentanyl," adding that "if you play with fire eventually you'll get burned." Several people seemed to agree with that statement, with one person commenting, "accident as in he took too much?"

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Still, many were much more sympathetic. Writing that they are "not judgemental," one commenter acknowledged that "life can be so hard." That same person added that "if you are taking Fentanyl, you end up dead. How is it an accident? Especially when you are mixing multiple drugs," though they ended their comment by stating that "the doctors are prescribing those drugs way too easily." Several people agreed, with one person responding that "the Drs in this case seemed to over prescribe probably because he's quasi famous."

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Calling his death "sad," one fan wrote that "opiod deaths are killing folks no matter your status in life…the The poorest of poor to the richest of rich."

Other fans chose to reflect on Diatchenko's work, with one person commenting, "He was really good in Chernobyl Diaries, sad he died this way," while another wrote, "R.I.P haven'' seen much work besides Chernobyl Diaries but I'm sure he was a talented actor."

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After news of Diatchenko's death first surfaced on April 25, many fans had flocked to social media to react. Within hours, social media was flooded by fans recalling his work and their favorite roles the actor had held while paying tribute to the 52-year-old.

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