'NYPD Blue' star Austin Majors died of fentanyl overdose, coroner determines
Former child actor Austin Majors, who starred in the ABC series "NYPD Blue," died of a fentanyl overdose, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined.
The actor, who also starred in television shows "ER," "NCIS" and "Desperate Housewives," died on Feb. 11. He was 27.
According to information in the medical examiner's database on Tuesday, "fentanyl toxicity" was listed as Majors' primary cause of death. The actor — who also went by Austin Majors-Setmajer — died at his "residence" and his death was ruled an accident.
Kali Majors-Raglin, the actor's sister, said in a February statement shared with The Times that fentanyl poisoning was suspected.
Read more: 'NYPD Blue' star Dennis Franz honors Austin Majors: 'He brought smiles and happiness'
The actor died at a homeless housing facility in Los Angeles, according to TMZ, which broke news of Majors' death in February.
Days before his death, Majors announced on his Instagram story that he “got to meet” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and encouraged his followers to “look for me on Fox tonight.”
On Feb. 7, the Los Angeles Daily News reported that Majors met with Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, at the Hilda L. Solis Care First Village in downtown Los Angeles.
Born Nov. 23, 1995, Majors was best known for his work as Theo Sipowicz, son to Dennis Franz's Det. Andy Sipowicz, in “NYPD Blue” from 1999 to 2004. In 2002, he received a Young Artist award for his work on the series, which won 20 Emmys over its 12 seasons.
Read more: San Francisco board member wants to mandate pharmacies carry naloxone as overdose cases grow
"Austin was always such a joy to have on the set, he brought smiles and happiness to everyone," Franz told The Times in February.
He added: “Although we haven’t stayed in touch since the show ended in 2005, I will always remember him fondly. My love and condolences to his family.”
Majors-Raglin said her brother "took great joy and pride in his acting career." She added that the actor's "goal in life was to make people happy."
Majors graduated from USC in 2017 with a degree in cinematography and film/video production. In recent years, Majors worked as a photographer, videographer and documentarian, according to his LinkedIn page.
His additional film and television credits included “Treasure Planet,” “Brother Bear,” “Elf,” “Threshold, "How I Met Your Mother," "American Dad" and “According to Jim.” Majors also released music under the name Pope!.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.