Cooper Noriega's cause of death has been confirmed.
According to NBC News, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office determined that the 19-year-old TikTok star passed away from an accidental drug overdose. The outlet relayed that the overdose stemmed from the "combined effects" of fentanyl and anti-anxiety medication, specifically alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan). The coroner's report also noted that Noriega had recently used clonazepam (Klonopin) — which is also used to treat anxiety — and cited it as another "significant condition" that contributed to his passing.
On Thursday, June 9, the social media star was found unconscious by a passerby in a mall parking lot in Burbank, California. Paramedics were unable to revive him at the scene, with authorities subsequently confirming to NBC News that Noriega died in the parking lot. He was just three weeks shy of his 20th birthday.
This past June, Noriega — who had more than 1.7 million TikTok followers at the time of his passing — opened up about his history of substance abuse and addiction, revealing that he began using drugs when he was 9 years old.
@coopernoriega love u all so much ❤️
♬ Skate - Trees and Lucy
“I mean, we’re talking Xanax, Adderall, marijuana, nicotine,” Noriega told host Dave Portnoy on an episode of the BFFs podcast at the time, which Portnoy responded to by saying, “Nine [years old], that’s crazy. I didn’t even know I was playing G.I. Joe when I was 9.”
Just days before death, Noriega also got candid about his struggles with mental health, telling fans on TikTok and Instagram that he had started a Discord to talk about mental health.
"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," he wrote on IG. "One of the many things I've learnt while struggling with addiction was that surrounding yourself with negative people will only bring you down."
You can read NBC News' entire report here.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
Photos via TikTok / @coopernoriega