Cooper Noriega's cause of death revealed: Influencer, 19, had lifelong struggle with substance abuse
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: TikTok star Cooper Noriega was found dead in a Los Angeles parking lot on June 9, 2022. Dubiously just hours before his death, the 19-year-old posted a cryptic video asking if anyone else feels they are going to die young. After months of speculation surrounding his death, authorities have finally revealed the cause of his death.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical examiner, the 19-year-old died due to “combined effects of alprazolam, fentanyl, and lorazepam” which authorities are ruling an accidental drug overdose. An investigation found evidence of “recent clonazepam use,” according to New York Post.
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Noriega had posted a video of himself lying in bed with the caption, “Who else b thinking they gon d!€ young af,” just hours before his death. The teen star had also revealed to his Instagram followers on June 4 that he was starting a Discord page “for mental health” due to his lifelong struggle with substance abuse. “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 with,” he wrote in the emotional post.
“I would like to use the influence I’ve been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalizing talking about mental illness,” Noriega wrote on Instagram. The star was famous for making lip-sync videos and short sketches. At the time of his death, an outpouring of grief spread across the Internet. His social media accounts boasted around 1.7 million TikTok followers and 95.7 million likes, as well as more than 427,000 followers on Instagram, reported the source.
Noriega’s loved ones mourned his untimely death on social media. His heartbroken family also penned an emotional post for their son. “Today has been an incredibly difficult time for my family and me,” wrote his father, Harold Noriega. “We lost our beautiful 19-year-old Cooper last evening. He was loved by so many and truly the love of Treva’s, Parker’s and my life.” Moreover, his most recent ex-girlfriend, Sabrina Quesada, posted a carousel of Instagram photos showing her and the late TikToker. “The light of my life, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” she wrote in the caption. “I’m so sorry my love. may we meet again.”