The Prodigy frontman Keith Flint's death 'not a suicide', coroner closes investigation citing 'insufficient evidence'
The senior coroner for Essex has recorded an open conclusion and ruled that there isn't enough evidence to state that 'The Prodigy' frontman Keith Flint committed suicide.
The 49-year-old, who was a founding member of the electronic dance act and is best-remembered for 1996 singles 'Firestarter' and 'Breathe,' was found dead at his home in North End, near Great Dunmow, Essex, on March 4.
Later that day, bandmate Liam Howlett stated in an Instagram post that Flint had taken his own life, a notion that seemed to have been backed by a postmortem examination which recorded that the singer had died by hanging.
It was something that was brought up again by the coroner's officer Linda Calder during the brief inquest hearing held in Chelmsford on Wednesday, May 8. However, neither Flint's family nor his band manager was in attendance.
Calder told the hearing that Flint was found hanging at his home by a friend, though she also brought up how the postmortem had found cocaine, alcohol, and codeine in the singer's system. It would prove to be one of the factors that forced Caroline Beasley-Murray, the senior coroner for Essex, to record an open conclusion.
According to The Guardian, Beasley-Murray noted how the police who arrived at his home that fateful day did not find any suspicious circumstances or third-party involvement, but said there still wasn't enough evidence to rule the death a suicide.
"I've considered suicide," she explained. "To record that, I would have to have found that, on the balance of probabilities, Mr. Flint formed the idea and took deliberate action knowing it would result in death."
"Having regard to all the circumstances," she continued, "I don't find that there's enough evidence for that," adding she also found insufficient evidence to conclude Flint's death was an accident, where he may have been "larking around and it all went horribly wrong."
"I’m going to conclude an open conclusion," she announced. "We will never quite know what was going on in his mind on that date and so that’s why I’m going to record an open conclusion."
Beasley-Murray asked the coroner's office to express the court's sympathy to the singer's family and the band's manager, and said, "He clearly was extremely popular. He was much-loved by so many fans. It’s been very touching to see that, and of course, I’m aware of the funeral service that was held in Bocking."
Following his death, many artists and music industry figures from around the world paid tribute to Flint, with many highlighting his gentle temperament, kindness, politeness, and generosity that stood in stark contrast to his energetic and aggressive on-stage persona.
His funeral, which was held on March 29, saw a 1.5-mile public procession attended by fans from around the world, with the following private ceremony at St Mary’s church in Bocking, Essex, seeing festival flags flying and floral tributes piled up in the churchyard.