Rodney King is famous for being the man who was the reason for the the LA riots that killed 55 people and left Reginald Denny in a coma. King was recently found floating in the swimming pool of his home and was pronounced dead, succumbing to an alcohol addiction that haunted his life and then finally ended it. Even before the taped beating that became world famous and caused normal individuals to take a stand against police brutality Rodney King had substance abuse issues. After the police beating King turned even further to the bottle to try and forget the memory of that night on the street when he was brutally assaulted by police officers. Substance abuse treatment was tried more than once but the recovery was never permanent, possibly because King did not receive individual therapy during treatment to finally work through these issues.
The toxicology reports are not back yet so it has not been determined exactly how Rodney King died on June 17, 2012. He was found by his fiance, Cynthia Kelly, at 5:25 a.m. and 911 was called. Neighbors said that they heard King crying and sobbing in the hours before he was found, and that Kelly tried to coax King back into the home. In addition to alcohol Rodney King also had a medical marijuana card and marijuana plants were removed from the home. King even appeared on a recent episode of Celebrity Rehab in order to get his life back together and receive substance abuse treatment one more time. Unfortunately the bright future that King hoped for has been cut short, one more victim of substance abuse treatment that did not provide a full and complete recovery.
