Koppel's Son Died From Drugs, Alcohol

The son of former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel, who was found dead after a day of bar-hopping with a man he'd just met, died from a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol, the medical examiner's office said Friday.

Andrew Koppel's May 31 death was ruled an accident. He died from acute intoxication due to the combined effects of alcohol; heroin; cocaine; diazepam, the generic form of the painkiller Valium; and Levamisole, a drug used to cut other drugs, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.

The 40-year-old Koppel had been out most of May 30 drinking with Russell Wimberly, a man he met at a Manhattan bar that day. He was eventually taken up to an apartment to sleep it off, said Belinda Caban, who lives in the apartment.

Caban told The Associated Press earlier this month that she and Wimberly spent the next few hours talking, and he went in to check on Koppel and said he was snoring. After six hours, she told Wimberly it was time to go and for him to take Koppel home. She said when they went to the bedroom to rouse Koppel, he wasn't moving, so they called for help. She said paramedics estimated Koppel had been dead about four hours.

Caban didn't answer her phone Friday. A phone number for Wimberly couldn't be found.

British-born Ted Koppel and his wife were not available for comment Friday, according to a representative. The family earlier issued a statement saying their son was "a brilliant, caring man, whose loss we will mourn for the rest of our lives."

Andrew Koppel's longtime girlfriend, Ilona Lieberman, did not return a message seeking comment. She had previously called his death devastating.

Koppel was appointed attorney for the city Housing Authority's civil litigation division in 2001 and resigned the post in 2008, the agency said. In 1994, while a student at Georgetown Law School, he was convicted of misdemeanor assault for striking a U.S. Senate aide during an argument at a cash machine.

Ted Koppel is the former longtime anchor of the ABC News show "Nightline," which he left in 2005. Andrew Koppel was one of his four children.

[hks54]

My son died almost exactly the same way last year. The fact was he struggled with the addiction for most of his life. He had plans in his life and certainly had no desire to want out. I also have met other parents whose sons had died of overdosing and their stories are similar. The fact is they do not set out that day with a certain amount or kind of drugs that they plan to take. It just progresses as the opportunities present themselves. If you combine that with the alcohol, your senses are suppressed and judgement is lost. Sometimes, the drugs they think they are taking are actually cut with other substances causing unintended side effects.

I understand the grief and the void and my prayers go out to the Koppels. Andrew's struggles are over. The Koppel's struggles have been replaced by a lifetime of "I miss him".

[white_tea]

Why would Andrew Koppel do this?
Go on a drinking dinge with a guy who was wearing the same hat as he,
Who is Russell Wimberly and why would he take Andrew to a disgusting apartment and not to his home or even call Andrew's wife/girl friend?
Is the report true?
Something smell's fishy...
Who's hiding information?
There is something very wrong with this story,

[SLBTS]

This is so sad to watch untreated drug addiction -
http://www.soberliving.com

[formrusmcsgt]

"He died from acute intoxication due to the combined effects of alcohol; heroin; cocaine..."
---
Either he was very careless or he wanted out....

[babooph]

We humans are enigmas -one with his brains ,ability,connections,dies clouded by...many work at Mc Donalds ,& are content with ...