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Danny Dias, MTV ‘Road Rules’ Reality Star, Dies At 34 Of Suspected Suicide After Taking LSD And Mushrooms

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 07:06 PST, Jun 7, 2017

MTV’s Road Rules reality star Danny Dias was found dead in his apartment in Brooklyn on Monday morning after a drug-related incident over the weekend. His death, at the age of 34, was initially believed to have been due to a drug overdose, but TMZ later reported that police investigators were treating the case as a possible suicide after “two vertical lacerations” were found on his forearm.

Dias was found dead on Monday after a friend, who became concerned that he hadn’t heard from him for two days, went to his Brooklyn apartment to check on him. The friend reportedly found Dias dead in his apartment.

According to the friend, who was at Dias’ Brooklyn apartment on Saturday, he ingested hallucinogens, reportedly LSD and mushrooms. He appeared to panic over the unpleasant effect of the drugs. He fled into his room and locked himself in. The friend pleaded with him to come out of the room, but he refused.

The friend left the apartment on Saturday because he thought that Dias wanted to be left alone to recover from the unpleasant reaction to the hallucinogens, but it turned out to be the last he saw of him.

After the friend left the apartment, he called Dias on the phone repeatedly over the next two days but got no response. He eventually became concerned and returned to check on Dias at his apartment on Monday. He called police after he found Dias lifeless on his bed in his room.

“Police discovered a 34-year-old male unconscious and unresponsive,” a police report said, according to Us Weekly. “The EMS responded and pronounced the male deceased at the scene.”

“No criminality suspected. The Medical Examiner is going to determine the cause of death. There are no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.”

NYPD said it was investigating to establish a cause of death. Although he was initially suspected to have died of a drug overdose, “two vertical lacerations” found on his forearm raised the possibility of a suicide, according to TMZ.

Hollywood Gossip noted that overdoses due to hallucinogens are very rare. Thus, it is possible that Dias might have died from ingesting a third substance that his friend was not aware of, or he might have died from another cause besides drug overdose, such as suicide committed under the influence of the drug.

Dias, a native of Linden, New Jersey, rose to stardom in 2004 after he appeared on the penultimate Season 13 of MTV’s reality show, Road Rules, alongside cast mates and friends Derrick Kosinski, Jodi Weatherton, and Patrick Maloney.

Road Rules, nominated for an Emmy in 2001, debuted on July 19, 1995, and ended on May 9, 2007. It was MTV’s second reality show after The Real World.

The show followed the adventures of a group of young people traveling without money in a recreational vehicle (RV) from place to place, guided by clues. They were required to complete a set of tasks at each location.

Dias also appeared on the spinoff series, The Challenge, in 2005, but he was eliminated from the show after only four episodes. He later appeared on MTV’s The Gauntlet, but only for a season.

He attended the Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey, from 2001 to 2003, majoring in music education. He left the college after he was called by MTV following his Road Rules audition.

Fans and friends have since taken to social media to mourn Dias’ passing and to say their condolences to his family.

His tragic death comes after Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County star Clay Adler committed suicide in April. It also comes after Rob & Big reality show star Christopher “Big Black” Boykin died of a heart attack on May 9 at the age of 45.

[Featured Image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images]

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