Gwar Frontman Dave Brockie’s Death Ruled an Accidental Heroin Overdose

The late frontman of thrash-metal mainstay Gwar, Dave Brockie, died of an accidental heroin overdose, the Virginia State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Tuesday.

Onstage with the band, Brockie inhabited the costumed character Oderus Urungus — “a 43 billion year-old alien from the planet Scumdogia.” In late March, he was found dead in his home at age 50, WTVR reports. Police had evidence of heroin on the scene, but a cause of death was not confirmed until now. Brockie’s friends told local media they had been concerned about his health and behavior in the lead-up to his death.

Brockie was a founding member of the two-time Grammy-nominated band and its only consistent member since it began in 1984.

[WTVR]