According to the medical examiners, there was no foul play in the death of the 'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness' zookeeper as he passed away from acute alcohol use.
- Oct 20, 2021
AceShowbiz - "Tiger King" zookeeper Erik Cowie died from "acute and chronic alcohol use."
The 53-year-old, who was among the stars in the Netflix reality series "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness", was found dead in New York City last month (Sep21).
In a statement to Fox News on Monday (18Oct21), officials from the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Cowie's death was natural and stemmed from "acute and chronic alcohol use."
Cowie had admitted to having a drinking problem and said he was "at the end of (his) rope" before he started working with "Tiger King" Joe Exotic as an animal caretaker.
He stayed on at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma after Joe was imprisoned for attempting to kill rival Carole Baskin.
Earlier this year, Erik was charged with driving under the influence in Oklahoma after a car accident. He pleaded guilty but failed to show up for the sentencing hearing.
Cowie did appear in court to testify against Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, accusing the "Tiger King" star of abusing and killing some of his zoo animals.
The controversial reality TV star is serving a 22-year sentence after being convicted in January 2020 of trying to hire two different men to kill animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
Meanwhile, the Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park was awarded by a judge to Baskin in her legal dispute with Joe Exotic. She has since sold the zoo.
