Toxicology Reports Reveal Former FEMME FATALE Guitarist OD'd On Meth

March 21, 2006

Maggie Shepard of The Albuquerque Tribune is reporting that former FEMME FATALE guitarist Bill D'Angelo passed away four months ago from complications of methamphetamine overdose.

Though his parents suspected as much, it took the state toxicology lab four months to confirm that methamphetamines contributed to his death — even though the lab was working overtime to erase its backlog of cases.

His father, Russell D'Angelo, said the long wait made the situation worse. "It took so long. . . . They said they would have it (finished) one weekend, then they didn't. We just wanted to know. We had to just know."

Russell and his wife, Joann D'Angelo, suspected their ex-rocker son used drugs but weren't sure until last weekend when they finally learned what killed him.

The 43-year-old died Nov. 21 from complications of methamphetamine overdose.

The state's lab in charge of toxicology reports took until early February to finish tests, but then had to re-run them. Autopsy physicians said the negative results didn't match other evidence.

A second toxicology test, completed last week, revealed methamphetamine in D'Angelo's system.

The parents had seen signs of drug use, "but when we asked, he always said he wasn't using drugs," D'Angelo said.

"There were signs," D'Angelo said. "He was being really nasty. He was thin and irritable."

He'd always deny using, his father said.

Fellow band member Bobby Murray, now 42 and living in Phoenix, recalled, "Drugs were all around and we all dabbled, but we didn't let it get its hooks in us."

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