It wasn't just sippin' on some syrup that cost him his life.
Chad "Pimp C" Butler's death has been ruled accidental, per the Los Angeles coroner, a lethal combination of many factors, including high-octane cold medicine and sleep apnea.
The 33-year-old rapper, one half of hit-making group UGK, otherwise known as the Underground Kingz, was found dead in his bed on Dec. 4 on the sixth floor of the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
The coroner initially stated Butler's death appeared to be from natural causes, citing the lack of pill bottles or other drug paraphernalia in the hotel room. The autopsy and toxicology tests revealed that the rapper—whose body was decomposing when it was discovered—had taken ingested, but not excessive amounts of codeine and promethazine in the form of a syrup.
The former is a legal narcotic often found in cough medicines, but is also glorified as the pharmaceutical of choice among Southern hip-hop artists, including UGK and Three 6 Mafia's 2000 single, "Sippin' on Some Syrup."
The codeine and promethazine, for which Pimp C had a prescription, substantially lowered the rate of his respiration. It became fatal when factored in with his sleep apnea—a condition that momentarily causes one to briefly stop breathing. He was apparently too weak to reawake.
The death of C shocked the hip-hop community. Aside from his solo work, Pimp C was a frequent collaborator of some of the genre's biggest acts, including OutKast and Jay-Z, and was also forging a successful comeback with UGK partner Bun B.
Hailing from Port Arthur, Texas, the duo released its seventh album, UGK, to widespread acclaim last August. The UGK track "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)," featuring OutKast, is up for a Grammy this weekend for Best Rap Collaboration.