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Sunday World
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sunday World
Cocaine warning after Hardy Bucks actor died from a heart attack at stag party
Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, the coroner for Co Mayo, said society should be more aware of the risk of cocaine use in young men, saying these 'are our sons and partners'. A coroner has warned of the tragic consequences of taking cocaine following the death of a young actor who died of a heart attack while attending a friend's stag party. Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, the coroner for Co Mayo, said society should be more aware of the risk of cocaine use in young men, saying these 'are our sons and partners'. The inquest into the death of Alan 'Ali' Carter (37) of Market Street, Swinford, Co Mayo, who played the character DJ Scorpio Lyons on the RTÉ comedy series Hardy Bucks, heard the popular young man took cocaine, alcohol and the drug DMT in the hours prior to his death. The hugely popular mockumentary comedy series Hardy Bucks followed the fictional exploits of a group of young men living in small-town Ireland during the early 2000s. It ran for four seasons and also yielded a feature film. Mr Carter collapsed in front of three friends he had been socialising with at an AirBnB on the Castlebar Road in Westport town following a night out on August 26, 2024. The inquest heard Mr Carter received immediate CPR and advanced life saving treatment from an off-duty emergency medicine consultant within a short period of his collapse but he was beyond the point of resuscitation. Mr Carter's partner, Lorraine Carney, tearfully told Dr Fitzgerald of identifying his body in the hours after his death. Garda Ciara Sheehan of Westport Garda Station told Dr Fitzgerald that she and a colleague were on patrol in Westport when they were alerted to a sudden death in the town. On attendance at the scene, Dr Jason Horan told Gda Sheehan he received a call from the National Emergency Operation Centre to attend a man in cardiac arrest at 5.45am and proceeded immediately. After extensive resuscitation efforts, Mr Carter was pronounced dead by Dr Horan at 6.22am. Garda Sheehan said she became aware that the deceased in the minutes before his collapse smoked a drug called dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is a hallucinogenic, and suffered a seizure from which progressed to a full cardiac and respiratory arrest within ten minutes. The inquest also heard Mr Carter had consumed cocaine throughout his time at the AirBnB following a day of drinking in Westport town. CCTV and witness statements of those in attendance established Mr Carter and another man left the AirBnB for a period during the night and Mr Carter returned with the DMT drug. The man who left with him stated they had only gone to an apartment to pick up speakers and cigarettes. Another witness said Mr Carter produced the powder and a glass pipe, consumed it and quickly fell into a state of intoxication and collapse. Two friends administered CPR while the other rang for an ambulance. Consultant pathologist at Mayo University Hospital Mr Tamas Nemeth, who carried out a post-mortem examination, gave the cause of death as acute heart failure due to a heart attack caused by cocaine. While Mr Nemeth said cocaine triggered the heart attack, Mr Carter was suffering from advanced coronary heart disease with up to 80pc stenosis and both issues led to his death. Mr Nemeth did not believe the DMT influenced Mr Carter's death. Court presenter Sergeant Noel Crinnigan told Dr Fitzgerald he had consulted with the Mayo Drugs Unit of An Garda Síochána and the members he spoke to had never come across DMT in the county previously. The deceased's partner, Lorraine Carney, told Dr Fitzgerald Mr Carter had been born with a heart condition but this was resolved by surgery when he was a young child. However, in recent years he had suffered from high blood pressure and sleep apnoea, was overweight and had a poor diet. Returning a verdict of misadventure, coroner Dr Fitzgerald offered her sympathies on the tragic death of Mr Carter. 'It is such a pity and such a tragedy for a young person to have their life ended in such a manner,' she said. Dr Fitzgerald said the normality at which cocaine is consumed among young people is a huge concern and warned it poses 'the risk of sudden death in certain people'. 'That risk is not recognised and not understood. The dangers of taking alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated,' she said. Sgt Crinnigan concurred with Dr Fitzgerald and said consumers of cocaine never know what substances it can be cut with or its purity, which is a further risk to public health. 'You don't know what you are getting,' he said. 'On behalf of An Garda Síochána I want to extend our condolences to Lorraine and the Carter family.'
The Journal
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Hardy Bucks actor Alan Carter's death was due to heart failure caused by cocaine, inquest hears
'THE DANGERS OF combining alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated', a coroner warned today after returning a verdict of misadventure at an inquest into the death of a 37-year-old actor following a stag party in Westport, Co. Mayo, last August. The inquest into the death of Alan 'Ali' Carter from Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo, who acted as DJ Scorpio Lyons on the RTÉ comedy series, Hardy Bucks, was conducted by the Coroner for Mayo, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald. On August 26 last year, Mr Carter attended a stag party in Westport before going back with three friends to an AirBnb on the outskirts of the town where they all consumed cocaine. Evidence was given in today's hearing that the deceased took DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), a hallucinogenic drug, in the early hours and went into a seizure from which he failed to recover. In a statement from gardaí read into the record at today's inquest, one of the actor's friends said: 'Ali put powder in a pipe. He could not sit still. He was rolling around on the ground. We administered CPR and called an ambulance'. Consultant pathologist Dr Tamas Nemeth, who carried out a post-mortem examination, gave the cause of death as acute heart failure due to a heart attack caused by cocaine. Advertisement Dr Nemeth explained that Mr Carter had a heart issue with up to 80 per cent stenosis. He said the cause of death was the level of cocaine combined with stenosis and death, in his opinion, was due to unnatural causes. The pathologist outlined that cocaine has been implicated as trigger of acute myocardial infarction both in patients free of coronary artery disease and more frequently in patients with underlying coronary atherosclerosis. He said Mr Carter has suffered from severe coronary sclerosis with up to 80 per cent segmental stenosis in the coronary artery system. The deceased's partner Lorraine informed the corner that Mr Carter had been born with an enlarged heart, had high blood pressure, had childhood sleep apnoea and was overweight. Coroner Fitzgerald spoke of the normality nowadays of people drinking and having cocaine and warned of 'the risk of sudden death in certain people'. She continued: 'That risk is not recognised and not understood. The dangers of taking alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated. 'It is such a pity, such a tragedy, that a young person, out celebrating, that his young life ended in such a manner. 'However this is the reality of what we are dealing with. We don't want to be losing our loved ones to avoidable death'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Hardy Bucks actor Alan ‘Ali' Carter died after combining drugs and alcohol at a stag party, inquest hears
An actor died after taking cocaine and a hallucinogenic at a stag party, an inquest has heard. Alan 'Ali' Carter (37), from Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, appeared as DJ Scorpio Lyons on the RTÉ comedy series Hardy Bucks. At an inquest on Thursday, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, coroner for Mayo, recorded a verdict of death by misadventure and warned about the dangers of combining drugs and alcohol. She said it had become normal for people to drink and take cocaine together, despite a 'risk of sudden death in certain people'. READ MORE 'That risk is not recognised and not understood. The dangers of taking alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated,' Dr Fitzgerald said. It is 'such a pity, such a tragedy' that a 'young person out celebrating' had his young life 'ended in such a manner', she said. 'This is the reality [of] what we are dealing with. We don't want to be losing our loved ones to avoidable death.' The court heard Mr Carter attended a stag party last August 26th and returned with three friends to rented accommodation on the outskirts of Westport town where they consumed cocaine. Evidence given to the court was that he also took a hallucinogenic drug called dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and had a seizure from which he failed to recover. In a statement to gardaí, one of the actor's friends said Mr Carter was 'rolling around on the ground'. He said the friends administered CPR and called an ambulance. Consultant pathologist Dr Tamas Nemeth, who carried out a postmortem examination, said the cause of death was acute heart failure due to a heart attack caused by cocaine. Dr Nemeth said Mr Carter had a heart issue with up to 80 per cent stenosis, which describes the abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel or other structure. He said Mr Carter's death was caused by the cocaine levels combined with his stenosis. The death was, in Dr Nemeth's opinion, due to unnatural causes. He said cocaine had been a trigger of heart attacks in patients free of coronary artery disease and more frequently in patients with underlying coronary atherosclerosis, which is a build-up of plaque in the artery walls. Mr Carter's partner Lorraine told the coroner he was born with an enlarged heart, had high blood pressure, had childhood sleep apnoea and was overweight.
Irish Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Coroner issues stark warning about combining drugs and alcohol after hearing about actor's stag party death
An actor died after taking cocaine and a hallucinogenic at a stag party, an inquest has heard. Alan 'Ali' Carter (37), from Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, appeared as DJ Scorpio Lyons on the RTÉ comedy series Hardy Bucks. At an inquest on Thursday, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, coroner for Mayo, recorded a verdict of death by misadventure and warned about the dangers of combining drugs and alcohol. She said it had become normal for people to drink and take cocaine together, despite a 'risk of sudden death in certain people'. READ MORE 'That risk is not recognised and not understood. The dangers of taking alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated,' Dr Fitzgerald said. It is 'such a pity, such a tragedy' that a 'young person out celebrating' had his young life 'ended in such a manner', she said. 'This is the reality [of] what we are dealing with. We don't want to be losing our loved ones to avoidable death.' The court heard Mr Carter attended a stag party last August 26th and returned with three friends to rented accommodation on the outskirts of Westport town where they consumed cocaine. Evidence given to the court was that he also took a hallucinogenic drug called dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and had a seizure from which he failed to recover. In a statement to gardaí, one of the actor's friends said Mr Carter was 'rolling around on the ground'. He said the friends administered CPR and called an ambulance. Consultant pathologist Dr Tamas Nemeth, who carried out a postmortem examination, said the cause of death was acute heart failure due to a heart attack caused by cocaine. Dr Nemeth said Mr Carter had a heart issue with up to 80 per cent stenosis, which describes the abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel or other structure. He said Mr Carter's death was caused by the cocaine levels combined with his stenosis. The death was, in Dr Nemeth's opinion, due to unnatural causes. He said cocaine had been a trigger of heart attacks in patients free of coronary artery disease and more frequently in patients with underlying coronary atherosclerosis, which is a build-up of plaque in the artery walls. Mr Carter's partner Lorraine told the coroner he was born with an enlarged heart, had high blood pressure, had childhood sleep apnoea and was overweight.
Irish Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Inquest into Hardy Bucks star's death warns of danger of combining drink & drugs
'The dangers of combining alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated', a coroner warned on Thursday after returning a verdict of misadventure at an inquest into the death of a 37-year-old actor following a stag party in Westport, Co. Mayo, last August. The inquest into the death of Alan 'Ali' Carter, of Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo, who made his name as DJ Scorpio Lyons on the RTÉ comedy series, Hardy Bucks, was conducted by the Coroner for Mayo, Dr. Eleanor Fitzgerald. On August 26 last, Mr. Carter attended a stag party in Westport before going back with three friends to an Airbnb on the outskirts of the town, where they all consumed cocaine. Evidence was given to the hearing that the deceased took DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), a hallucogenic drug, in the early hours and went into a seizure from which he failed to recover. In a Garda statement read into the record at today's inquest, one of the actor's friends said: 'Ali put powder in a pipe. He could not sit still. He was rolling around on the ground. We administered CPR and called an ambulance.' Consultant pathologist Dr. Tamas Nemeth, who carried out a post-mortem examination, gave the cause of death as acute heart failure due to a heart attack caused by cocaine. Dr. Nemeth explained that Mr. Carter had a heart issue, with up to 80 per cent stenosis. He said the cause of death was the level of cocaine combined with stenosis and the death, in his opinion, was due to unnatural causes. The pathologist outlined that cocaine has been implicated as trigger of acute myocardial infarction both in patients free of coronary artery disease and more frequently in patients with underlying coronary atherosclerosis. He said Mr. Carter has suffered from severe coronary sclerosis, with up to 80 per cent segmental stenosis in the coronary artery system. The deceased's partner, Lorraine, informed the corner that Ali had been born with an enlarged heart, had high blood pressure, had childhood sleep apnoea and was overweight. Coroner Fitzgerald spoke of the normality nowadays of people drinking and having cocaine and warned of 'the risk of sudden death in certain people'. She continued: 'That risk is not recognised and not understood. The dangers of taking alcohol and drugs cannot be overestimated. 'It is such a pity, such a tragedy, that a young person, out celebrating, that his young life ended in such a manner. 'However, this is the reality of what we are dealing with. We don't want to be losing our loved ones to avoidable death.'
