Bobbi Kristina's Ex Cause Of Death Has Been Revealed

Adding to the list of tragedies surrounding the Houston-Brown family, Nick Gordon died at age 30 of a suspected overdose on Jan. 1, 2020. Gordon was known as the polarizing boyfriend of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown. While Gordon and Bobbi Kristina never married, they were together for an extended period of time and he received blame — from the public and her family — following Bobbi Kristina's untimely death at age 22 in 2015. While he was never charged in his then-girlfriend's death (and denied any involvement), Gordon was still found legally responsible for her death after failing to show up to court for his civil wrongful death suit, per the Associated Press.

A month after his passing, new details have emerged about the cause of Gordon's death. According to Page Six, toxicology and autopsy reports confirmed what the press suspected at the time.

In February 2020, TMZ obtained the autopsy and toxicology reports from Nick Gordon's death. According to the publication, he died from a heroin overdose. The drug Narcan, which is commonly used to counteract opioid overdoses, was also found in his system. Per the autopsy and toxicology reports, Gordon was found in cardiac arrest and hospitalized for seven hours before dying. TMZ also claimed he had "black fluid foaming out of his mouth" and was not breathing when a 911 call was made from his hotel room in Florida. 

At the time of his death, Gordon's lawyer, Joe S. Habachy, suggested drug use was involved but did not explicitly say so. "While I cannot speak to the specific circumstances of his death, I can say that it's been truly heartbreaking to have witnessed first hand the total devastation that drug addiction has wreaked upon a group of young friends, all of whom were loved and had immense potential," Habachy told People. "Despite all of the incredible challenges Nick faced over the last few years I can honestly say that he worked hard to hold his head up and stay sober and that he genuinely wanted a happy healthy life with his family more than anything else."

Bobbi Kristina Brown died in hospice care in July 2015, after being found unresponsive in a bathtub in January 2015. Toxicology reports revealed she had drugs in her system, including morphine, cocaine, alcohol, and prescription meds, per the Associated Press. To this day, it remains unclear if her death was self-inflicted, caused by someone else, or an accident. According to USA Today, Nick Gordon was accused of injecting Bobbi Kristina with a toxic mixture and placing her unconscious body in the tub, but Gordon insisted he actually tried to save her, telling the Daily Mail in 2016 that claims otherwise were "bullsh**."

Whitney Houston's drowning in a bathtub in 2012 weighed heavily on both Gordon and Bobbi Kristina, and he claimed that drugs became a coping mechanism. Gordon told Dr. Phil (via Billboard), "It was unfortunate but at the time that's kind of the only way we knew how to deal with what had happened." He also told the Daily Mail that Houston "was like a mom to [him]. Momma Dukes. Losing her was terrible." Gordon's drug and alcohol use worsened when Bobbi Kristina was placed in a medically-induced coma, which he later described as "the lowest point in my life right there." He checked into rehab in March 2015, after Dr. Phil helped stage an intervention.

Gordon had reportedly been focused on sobriety ahead of his passing. His brother, Jack Walker Jr., told People, "Nick's battle in life was not an easy one." 

Following Bobbi Kristina Brown's passing, Nick Gordon was vocal about the loss — not just in interviews, but with those closest to him. According to his brother, Jack Walker Jr. (via People), "He literally talked about her every single day. He still loved her so much... There was not a day that went by that he didn't get emotional about her." Walker Jr. added, "He would always say to me, 'I wish I could have done things differently, man. I wish things had been different. She shouldn't have gone the way she did.'" 

That's similar to what Gordon told the Daily Mail in 2016: "I blame myself for not getting to Krissy quick enough that day. I can't blame myself for another addict's addiction but I feel like I failed her. She didn't make it. I wish she got help." He also added that they had bright plans for their future: "We wanted to get clean, settle down, get married, have kids."

Those words are undeniably heartbreaking in the wake of Gordon's own drug-related passing. 

If you or anyone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can contact SAMHSA's free, confidential helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).