Late DJ Erick Morillo died from “acute ketamine toxicity,” according to an investigations report by the Miami Dade County Medical Examiner.
The news comes after Morillo’s death on Sept. 1, 2020.
According to the report, Morillo’s cousin found him unresponsive at his home in Miami Beach on the morning of Sept. 1. Initial officers on the scene found “possible drug paraphernalia including multiple syringes.” MDMA and cocaine were also found in Morillo’s system.
Born in New Jersey, Morillo blew up during the ’90s house music boom and is considered one of the world’s first superstar DJs, with one of many high points coming via his 1993 hit “I Like to Move It,” which was released under the alias Reel 2 Real.
Morillo had a long history of drug use and addiction issues, telling Pete Tong in 2016 that years of drug abuse made it so that “at one point, I couldn’t even urinate. Every time I tried, it would be stuck and the pain meant I had to go to hospital where they put me to sleep. When I woke up, they had slashed some of my arm off because it was so infected from putting ketamine in it.”
Prior to his death, Morillo had been arrested on sexual battery charges after turning himself in to the Miami police after a rape kit tested positive for his DNA. His initial hearing was scheduled to take place days after his death. Since his death, several other women have accused the late producer and label owner of rape and sexual misconduct.
