Nolan Neal, a singer who competed on The Voice and America’s Got Talent, died on July 18 after ingesting a fatal combination of drugs. A Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office spokesperson told Page Six on Oct. 13 that the coroner listed Neal’s cause of death as “acute combined drug toxicity.” The manner of death was ruled an accident.
The autopsy report was finished on Sept. 13. The toxicology test showed Neal had a mix of morphine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and acetyl fentanyl in his system. Neal was 41. Neal’s daughter, Caylin Cate, raised over $26,000 for her father’s funeral on GoFundMe.
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Neal’s roommate called police to their home after finding the singer’s body in a bedroom, police told TMZ in July. Police said they found a guitar pick that “appeared to contain a powder residue” and a note about Neal’s struggle with substance abuse. However, the cause of death was not determined until the autopsy was completed.
Neal appeared on The Voice in 2016 and was a member of Adam Levine’s team before he was eliminated in the knockout round. In 2020, he made it to the quarterfinals during America’s Got Talent. During his time on AGT, he performed an original song called “Lost” that he wrote after getting clean. He received a standing ovation from all four judges.
After making his debut on AGT, Neal told WBIR he struggled with addiction and his father’s suicide. He tried to get clean in 2010, but he began drinking again after joining a band called Hinder, whose members liked to party and drink. “This is not their fault. I had decided I wanted to drink like a normal person,” he said in July 2020. “I remember trying to be normal and fitting in. I remember going to a bar and ordering a drink. I tried to hide it. I remember pretending to be normal. I was just lying to myself telling myself that I could control it.”
The Nashville native was only a member of Hinder for a short time, but he was still struggling when he performed on The Voice. “I kind of lost my way on the voice and continued drinking,” Neal recalled. “You can see it. I can see it.”
After several stints in rehab, Neal found himself at a happy and healthy place when he tried out for AGT. “What’s different this time? I found happiness by helping others in recovery,” Neal told WBIR. “I found a way to be happy without the things I thought made me happy before.”
“Unfortunately, it happens too much over the years,” America’s Got Talent creator Simon Cowell told PEOPLE in August when asked about Neal. “I was thinking about this the other day. People [who] passed too soon. Every time it happens, because you’ve gotten to know them, it’s horrible. At that moment, it’s like, ‘What can I say?’ The unfortunate thing is it’s happened too many times and every time it happens, it’s hard.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call the National Drug Helpline at (844) 289-0879.
