Fans of The Voice and America's Got Talent are learning more about contestant Nolan Neal's passing.
The Davidson County medical examiner's office in Tennessee confirmed to E! News on Oct. 14 that the singer's cause of death was "acute combined drug toxicity" and that the manner of death was ruled an accident.
The update comes about three months after Nolan died on July 18 at the age of 41. Police told TMZ that they were called after Nolan's roommate found the musician's body in a bedroom.
Nolan first appeared on season 10 of The Voice in 2016. Though he didn't make it past the blind auditions, he didn't give up and returned for season 11 later that year. There, he performed a rendition of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" that had all four coaches turning their chairs. He was part of Adam Levine's team and competed until being eliminated from the talent series in the knockout rounds.
But this wasn't the last time fans saw Nolan on their TVs. In 2020, he appeared on season 15 of America's Got Talent. During his audition, Nolan noted he wanted to come on the show to share the story of what he went through, including his fathering dying by suicide and his own battle with substance use.
"I went to Nashville, played on the street on Broadway and ended up getting a record deal in Los Angeles," he said on the episode. "I was like, 'This is it!' And I partied really hard. Pretty soon, I started to become unmanageable because I thought I was a rock star. I got to New York to record my record. And we were there and I just remember I couldn't sing because I was so messed up. The label decided to drop me. And I went back to Nashville and I kept downward spiraling. That's when it got so bad that people had to step in."
For his audition, Nolan sang an original song titled "Lost," which he said he wrote after completing treatment. In addition to receiving a standing ovation from the audience, Nolan advanced to the next round and made it all the way through to the quarterfinals.
"I'm glad to be here today sober, very clear and focused," he continued. "My voice is healthy. I'm healthy."
Afterwards, Nolan continued to share his sobriety journey with his fans. Last December, he released "Shadow of the Man I Used to Be," which he described as an "original song about my recent relapse."
Following Nolan's death, those in The Voice and America's Got Talent communities expressed their condolences, including Simon Cowell who is a judge on the latter show.
"Unfortunately, it happens too much over the years," he told People in August. "I was thinking about this the other day. People [who] passed too soon. Every time it happens, because you've gotten to know them, it's horrible."
Before competing on America's Got Talent and The Voice, Nolan was a touring member of the rock band Hinder. After his death, his daughter, Caylin Cate, paid tribute on social media.
"My dad didn't get his redemption story, but he would've wanted everyone around him to have theirs," Caylin wrote in part of a July 22 Facebook post. "Write the song. Record the music. Dream the dream. But don't let your struggles hold you back and take it all away. I'm thankful we have his music to remember him by, but I'm sad I'll never get to hear another new song."