Pimp C’s Death Ruled Accidental

A combination of drinking cough syrup and a pre-existing sleep apnea condition were the cause of death for UGK legend Pimp C aka Chad Butler, the Los Angeles Coroner said today.

Pimp C, who was found in bed at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood, CA, on December 4th.

The report listed the condition of his body as "decomposed" and also noted that C had a history of sleep apnea. The official cause of death was determined to be "due to promethazine/codeine effects and other unestablished factors," said Ed Winter, assistant chief of the coroner’s office.

"Sleep apnea, you stop breathing," Winter said. "Coupled with a medication that suppresses your respiratory abilities, you end up with an accidental death."

"We found a large amount of prescription cough medicine in the bedroom," Winter said.

Things were finally starting to go quite well for Pimp C, who spent four years in prison and was released in 2005.

"Chad was finally seeing the results of the years of love and labor that he and Bun B have put in over the years, culminating in the tremendous success of their album, ’Underground Kingz,’" C’s manager Rick Martin said.

"Chad was set to soar with not only a new solo deal on Jive Records, but a lucrative publishing deal, a new satellite radio show, several group projects and a national cologne endorsement. Chad had everything to live for," Martin added.

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