Lauri Peterson’s son Josh Waring’s cause of death has been revealed.
Waring died in March at the age of 35 from the combined effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine and olanzapine, which is an antipsychotic medication, California’s Orange County Sheriff’s Department coroner told TMZ Thursday.
The manner of his death was reportedly listed as accidental.
Peterson, who was an original cast member on “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” hinted that drugs may have led to Waring’s death when she revealed the news of his passing in April.
“It is with a shattered heart that I write this post to let you know that my sweet Josh left this earth Easter Sunday,” Peterson began a lengthy Instagram caption, which accompanied various photos of her late son through the years.
“No one can ever prepare you for this feeling of such deep loss,” she lamented. “Every fiber in my body hurts.”
The former Bravolebrity explained that “Josh fought every single day for most of his adult life, for his life,” but admitted that “the challenge was too great.”
Though Waring’s “childhood was filled with deep intellect, humor, pranks, athletics, snow boarding, body boarding mountain hikes, reading, friends and his love for music,” he went on to struggle with “adult hardship.”
His devastated mom thanked “all of the people that have tried to help Josh along the way,” sharing that she is “witness to many Angels on earth.”
“Not everyone understands those suffering from substance abuse disorder, but I am forever grateful for your understanding and the impact you made on his life,” she told those special few.
“I also thank those who have supported me through this journey and offering kind words of encouragement by sharing their stories of living with substance abuse disorder and the many parents that have shared their stories over the years with me about the children they have sadly lost due to this illness.”
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Peterson — who adopted Waring’s preteen daughter, Kennady, amid his troubles — said “he received the most joy, pride and purpose” by “watching her grow and thrive over the years.”
She ended her gut-wrenching tribute, “My heart is with you and I pray you have found the peace that you so deserve. Heaven has gained the coolest angel and you have gained your freedom at last sweet boy.”
Waring’s spiraling addiction led to repeated run-ins with the law, which Peterson previously revealed is why she opted to leave “RHOC” after Season 4, which aired from November 2008 to June 2009.
In June 2016, Waring — whose father is Peterson’s first husband, Phillip Waring — was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, for which he served four years in prison.
“There’s no mystery to the fact that I’ve had problems with drugs,” Josh told by phone from behind bars in April 2018. “The police do know who I am in Costa Mesa.”
Meanwhile, Peterson — who married current husband George Peterson in September 2007 — told us at the time, “Josh gets arrested frequently and … if he is under the influence of drugs and if he’s using drugs at the time, I’m never going to help him out legally.”
“However,” she went on, “[adopting Kennady] has been life-altering; it has changed our whole entire lives. My contribution to Josh has always been, ‘I will always get you rehabs and do whatever I can do to help you medically beat this addiction, and I will raise your daughter.'”
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