Harvey Pekar Died from Accidental Antidepressant Overdose

Three months after indie comics legend Harvey Pekar was found dead at his home in Cleveland Heights, the coroner’s results have come in, and it appears that Pekar died due to an accidental overdose on two antidepressants. The coroner stressed that the 70-year-old’s death was accidental.

Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

“He did not take his own life,” [coroner’s spokesman Powell] Caesar said. “His death came as a result of accidental ingestion of fluoxetine and bupropion.”

Fluoxetine is used as a treatment for major depression, and bupropion is used for depression and smoking cessation. The latter drug can lower a person’s seizure threshold when used incorrectly.

Sad news.

(Cleveland Plain-Dealer via Robot 6)