The cause of death for radio personality and UFO enthusiast Art Bell has been determined — and no, Bell didn’t meet his demise from an alien probing gone awry.
Bell, who died April 13, at his home in Pahrump, Nevada, died of multiple drug intoxication “from his own lawfully prescribed prescriptions,” the Nye County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada said Wednesday.
Citing an autopsy conducted by the Clark County Medical Examiner, the sheriff’s office said that the death was determined to be caused by an accidental overdose.
Bell, who was known for exploring the paranormal on the syndicated radio that he hosted for decades, died at age 72 at his home, eerily enough, on Friday the 13th.
Bell started out as a disc jockey but drifted into political talk radio in the 1970s and saw a ratings boost when he veered into the realm of conspiracy theories and the paranormal. He espoused his belief in alien abductions, ghosts, crop circles report — and even that the Hale-Bopp comet that neared the Earth in 1986 was being followed by a UFO.
Soon, his late-night show “Coast to Coast” gained national syndication and allowed him to broadcast from his own Pahrump-based radio station, KNYE 95.1 FM. At the height of his fame, as many as 500 stations carried his show in the U.S. and Canada.