The death of Nick Drake, Monday, 25 November 1974

[Article originally written in September 2009]

Drake family headstone, Tanworth-in-Arden cemetery.

Contents

Introduction
The night of the 24th / morning of the 25th November 1974
The Morton Jack account
A lethal cocktail
Suicide or accidental overdose?
Scott Appel's suicide scenario
An unseen illness
The last letter
Summary
References

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1. Introduction

There has long been conjecture as to whether the British singer / songwriter / guitarist Nick Drake died on 25 November 1974 from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication, or meaningfully used that medication - or some other substance - to commit suicide, as was officially reported (Humphries 1998). It is likely that the truth will never be known. During 1999 the spectre of death from a heroin overdose was raised by American Scott Appel, following his visit to England and meeting with Drake's parents (Appel 1999). The question of accidental overdose versus suicide therefore remains unanswered. Evidence either way at the time of Nick's death was apparently inconclusive, with even members of the family unsure. The local coroner did make a finding of '(suicide)' based, apparently, on the facts available to him. Many of Nick's friends were not surprised by this verdict, feeling that death had been at his door for a long time. We know, for example, that in February 1973 Drake attempted suicide by taking 36 Valium tablets, evidence of the extent of his depression and state of mind at the time. The publication in 2014 of his father Rodney's diary notes from the last years of Nick's life tend to reinforce the view that his son was very unstable in this regard, and actually attempted suicide on a number of occasions (Drake & Callomon 2014). However, others have rejected the suicide finding. Amidst all of this conjecture is talk of a 'death-wish' by the artist, as revealed in the lyrics of songs such as Fruit Tree and I was made to love magic, both of which were written early in his career. For example, in the former he sang:

Fame is but a fruit tree / So very unsound. / It can never flourish / Till its stalk is in the ground.

Fruit tree, fruit tree / No-one knows you but the rain and the air. / Don't you worry / They'll stand and stare when you're gone.

Fruit tree, fruit tree / Open your eyes to another year. / They'll all know / That you were here when you're gone.

In addition, his later song Black Eyed Dog clearly reflects the depression he was suffering from, and associated thoughts of death:

A black eyed dog he called at my door

A black eyed dog he called for more

A black eyed dog he knew my name . . .

Nick Drake’s death may be re-examined in this article, and various conclusions put forward in the light of recent medical and pharmacological discoveries, alongside the release of archival evidence such as reminiscences and personal letters and papers. The former point to the high toxicity of prescription drugs such as the antidepressant Tryptizol which was given to Nick. Information contained in sources such as biographies of the artist by Patrick Humphries (1998) and Trevor Dann (2006) further assist this re-examination. Also of value are postings made on the Place-to-be listserv during 1998-2004 by individuals who knew Nick and his family, most significant of these being by the aforementioned American guitarist and musicologist Scott Appel (1954-2003) who at one stage visited with, and spoke to, Nick's parents. Finally, it should be noted that since this article was first published on the internet in September 2009 additional material on the life and times of Nick Drake has also appeared, and anything of relevance to the topic of his death has been included.

The case for Nick Drake as unknowing victim of a lethal cocktail of prescription and recreational drugs, and not, in this instance, a premeditated suicide, is a strong one and is herein argued. To understand this view, it is necessary to look at the circumstances of Nick's death in some detail. Evidence exists in the form of first hand oral testimonies, information on the various drugs he was known to be taking, and comments by friends and practitioners regarding his state of mind during this period. Some important information is not available to the current writer, including official medical records. Yet despite this apparent wealth of information, much remains unknown and unconfirmed about Nick's physical and mental health leading up to his death. This was altered to a significant degree by the publication in 2014 of extracts from his father Rodney's diaries for the period 1972-4, outlining details of the medical treatment, hospitalization and everyday ups and downs of Nick's depressive illness. However, pending the coming forward of Nick’s intimate associates to either confirm or deny the various rumours and assertions about his activities during those final years, the following assessment must remain largely unsubstantiated. From the publically available sources referred to above, it can be suggested that Nick Drake’s untimely death at the relatively young age of 26 in 1974 was influenced by a variety of factors. These include:

Nick's parlous mental state - there was a fragility in his nature from youth, and as far as we know Nick never sought ongoing treatment from a psychiatrist or psychologist. As a result, any treatment was purely medical and short-term, emergency based in the form of drugs for related symptoms, such as depression. This parlous mental state was reflected in some of his latter songs, such as Black Eyed Dog and Hanging on a Star. If he did not want to live, then when the drugs took effect he may simply have run out of the will to live and was bereft of any fight to survive;
Limited information available at the time in regards to the toxicity of certain doctor-prescribed antidepressant drugs;
Nick’s weakened physical condition arising out of 1) his kidney stone operation during 1970; and 2) a period of depression lasting some 3-4 years and the effects of the medication he was given as a result. The fact that he was found collapsed across his bed suggests that the end may have come upon him suddenly and unexpectedly;
The perceived need by the medical profession for the use of strong medication during this period in dealing with mental illness;
Nick's involvement in the music industry during a period of much excitement, experimentation with drugs and change in regards to what was popular and what was not;
Nick's long-term use of recreational drugs such as marijuana, hashish and possibly heroin;
Nick's long-term use of tobacco, which would have had a negative impact upon his heart and lungs; and
Unspecified personal issues which are perhaps hinted at in his songs and family correspondence, including the final breakdown of his relationship with long-time friend Sophia Ryde.

These external, family, and personal pressures were imposed upon a somewhat frail mental state which ran deep within this young man. It remains unclear as to whether Nick Drake was a victim of his times, a victim to mental illness and inappropriate treatment, or a combination of both. He can easily be lumped alongside contemporary pop stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Tim Buckley, all of whom died tragically and relatively young from the affects of drugs; and others who survived the late Sixties and early Seventies, such as Peter Green and Syd Barrett, but who were damaged by their experiences as rock stars and use of drugs such as LSD, but perhaps all arising out of innate fragility of both a physical and mental nature. Heroin was the main drug involved in the deaths of Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison and Buckley. No official account suggests heroin played any part in the death of Nick Drake, though Scott Appel's comments outlined below indicate a possible connection.

In order to understand the assertion that Nick Drake was in some way an unknowing victim of prescription and recreational drugs, and not a premeditated suicide, we need to look to the events of 24-25 November 1974 in detail, and of the days and weeks leading up to his death. The question as to whether he was a meaningful suicide who made use of prescription drugs to end his life has been addressed by other authors. It should be pointed out that the following scenario, initially developed by the author during November 2001, takes no account of the alternative "heroin overdose" scenario which was hinted at, and denied, in the Humphries biography, and which was developed during 1999 by Scott Appel. The subject of Nick Drake and heroin is discussed within the second half of this paper. As such, the following scenario is based only upon a reading of published sources. It is hoped that new commentary by Nick’s family and friends will eventually appear to help us better understand some of the issues highlighted below. Whilst the Humphries and Dann biographies are thorough and insightful, many questions remain unanswered. And whilst we don't need those questions answered in order to appreciate the music and artistry of Nick Drake, they can assist fans in better appreciating the journey he undertook in producing that work, and why his life came to an untimely end.

Far Leys, Tanworth-in-Arden, former residence of Nick Drake and family.

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2. The night of the 24th / morning of the 25th November 1974

Patrick Humphries in his 1998 biography of Nick Drake brings together numerous oral and written sources which comment upon the circumstances surrounding his death and events leading up to it. The most telling of these are by his parents Rodney and Molly and his sister Gabrielle, along with information provided by music journalist Nick Kent, friend Robert Kirby, and interviewer T.J. McGrath. Through these often contemporary sources and others such as the three Nick Drake television and video documentaries - A stranger among us: Searching for Nick Drake (1999), A Skin Too Few (2002) and Nick Drake: Under Review (2007) - we can form a relatively clear picture of the events which took place at the Drake property Far Leys, Tanworth-in-Arden, on the evening of Sunday, 24 November 1974, and on into the morning of Monday, the 25th.

[NB: Late in 2023 a rather brief account of Nick's death was presented in the Richard Morton Jack biography Nick Drake: The Life. It varies in some significant elements from the version presented below and is therefore mentioned separately.]

Nick had been out during the day driving in his car, as was common, and according to Molly Drake he went to bed early that night - precisely what time is not known, though Morton Jack suggests around 10.30pm. It was Autumn and the sun had set at 4.04 p.m. on a generally dull, cloudy day. Nick slept on a single bed in a small bedroom at Far Leys, the Tanworth-in-Arden house in which the family had lived since returning from life in South East Asia and India in 1952. Molly recalled during a 1979 radio interview that Nick

… went up to bed early. I remember him standing at that door, and I said to him: "Are you off to bed, Nick?" I can just see him now, because that’s the last time I ever saw him alive.

In regards to his general sleeping habits, she noted:

He didn’t often get up early - he sometimes had very bad nights.

Molly had previously stated that from the age of five (c.1953), Nick experienced screaming nightmares, thereby hinting at what she meant by "bad nights". What brought about these nightly episodes is not known - they may have been the result of some trauma as a child - though Molly displayed a melancholy in many ways similar to her son. It too was revealed through her songs and poetry. As a result of Nick's long-term sleeping issues, for this reason no alarm bells rang when he did not appear for breakfast the following morning, though Molly and his father Rodney were always on edge regarding his fragile mental state. Nick was not only want to sleep in on a regular basis, but also to remain in his room for long periods, uncommunicative, or take off at all hours of the day or night, riding his bike or taking his car on long drives, often visiting a wide network of friends in locations such as London, three hours away. In addition to insomnia, Nick had suffered a depressive illness for a number of years, most noticeably since 1971. This illness, on top of a naturally shy and retiring personality, was at the heart of problems encountered in the latter years of his short life. It was perhaps exacerbated by the hectic pace of life as a recording artist and music performer in London at the time, and he own engagement with the scene therein, including recreational drug and alcohol use. Nick developed a wide circle of friends and acquaintances when he left home after 1967 - he was studying at university, making music, partying and traveling - all of which may have caught up with him following the release of his first two albums Five Leaves Left 1969 and Bryter Layter 1971. What we call a nervous breakdown may have taken place during the early 1970s and affected Nick in a multitude of forms.

As to events on the night of his death, we have a fair amount of detail. There is a suggestion that he visited a friend early in the evening, before returning home and going up to bed. Whilst in his room that evening - or sometime earlier - he wrote a letter to his girl friend Sophia, who had broken off their relationship. This had upset Nick a great deal. The letter was found by his bedside after his death and passed on by Molly. It was not a suicide note as such (having never been released, this cannot be verified), though one cannot help thinking that the associated trauma may have played a part in his death that evening, even if only subconsciously. The breakup may have diminished his will to live.

After retiring to his room and possibly sleeping for a period, at some point during the evening of the 24th, or early in the morning of the 25th, Nick awoke, went down to the kitchen, had some cornflakes and possibly also took some (more) Tryptizol pills. There is confusion around the quantity of pills he took and the circumstances surrounding that. He then returned to his room and either immediately, or shortly thereafter, whilst standing by his bed, suddenly collapsed onto it. This was obviously the result of organ failure, such as a heart attack.

Nick landed in a position sprawled across the bed, and not along it as in a normal sleeping position. It can be surmised that, due to the effect of the drugs he was taking over an extended period, and also those he had taken that night, Nick most probably suffered an initial fainting spell or seizure, then lapsed into a coma, underwent a cardiac arrest, and was dead by 6 am, if not earlier.

According to Rodney Drake's diary for that morning, their Asian servant and Nick's former nanny Naw was the first to check up on him, around lunch time:

Naw had looked in on Nick at 11.45, found him lying across [the] bed and called in Molly who went in and found him dead. After desperate phone calls we got [Dr.] Ackroyd and shortly after an ambulance, which of course was too late as Ackroyd had declared Nick dead and to have been dead for some hours ... The contents of a Tryptizol bottle were missing ...

Of the events on that Monday, 25th November 1974, Molly subsequently noted that:

..I never used to disturb him at all. But it was about 12 o’clock, and I went in, because really it seemed it was time he got up. And he was laying across the bed. The first thing I saw was his long, long legs ….

It is interesting that Molly should not mention that Naw had alerted her to the fact that something was wrong with Nick.

According to the doctor who first examined him early in the afternoon of the 25th, Nick passed away around 6 am (or earlier) that morning. The fact that he was found lying across his bed, and not in a normal sleeping position, indicated the onset of a sudden seizure, such as a fainting spell or heart attack, causing him to fall in such an unnatural position.

Events of the night of the 24th and early morning of the 25th can be said to have been a bit unusual in that Molly would usually join Nick in the kitchen for a chat when he woke, suggesting that she also had sleeping problems or was a light sleeper. However, she did not do so this particular night. His father Rodney, in the aforementioned 1979 radio interview, remembered the events of that evening as follows:

Apparently he'd been down during the night. He'd been downstairs during the night, and had some cornflakes or something like that. And he often did that as a matter of fact, when he couldn't sleep. He often used to go downstairs. More often than not, Molly would hear him passing our bedroom door and she'd get up, put a dressing gown on, go down and talk to him. This occasion, she didn't hear him. And he went back and he took an extra strong dose of these pills that had been prescribed for him, called Tryptizol, which he thought were anti-depressants. He told us he was supposed to take three a day or something. We were always worried about Nick being so depressed. We used to hide away the aspirin and pills and things like that. These particular things we didn't think were in any way dangerous.

Rodney's comment that he and Molly used to hide pills away from Nick for fear of overdose is telling, and points to the extent of his mental health problems over an extended period. According to these comments, Nick took an extra dose of the antidepressant drug Tryptizol during the night. Gabrielle Drake states in the 1998 BBC documentary on her brother, that he took 30 pills on the night of his death, whilst another source states that the Coroner's report included reference to Nick taking 30 Tryptizol tablets (Simadis 2018). Such an action is indicative of suicide, and explains why the coroner was moved to make such a finding, even if it was tentative. Gabrielle's view is that Nick took an overdose of his medication that night, though she is somewhat vague about whether it was a meaningful, planned suicide or some sort of accident. If indeed he did take 30 pills in a single session, then this would clearly indicate a suicide attempt.

An inquest was held on 18 December 1974 and the coroner, H. Stephen Tibbits, recorded a verdict of '(suicide)', with the cause of death given as "Amitriptyline [Tryptizol] poisoning self administered when suffering from a depressive illness." This is consistent with the subsequent comments by Molly and Rodney, and with Nick's attempted suicide the previous year by overdose of the drug Valium.

It is possible, in the light of what is now known about the toxicity and side effects of the cocktail of drugs which had been prescribed to Nick Drake since he had originally been diagnosed with a depressive illness, that no extra dosage was actually taken on the night of his death, but that the fatal overdose was the result of intake during the previous few days and a build up of lethal chemicals in his system. It also seems possible from the above comments by Rodney Drake that he is merely assuming his son "took a bottle full of pills" in order to bring on death. Unfortunately it was not that difficult to achieve such a result with the pills prescribed to Nick, as they were extremely toxic and subject to overdose in relatively small quantities - something that was not known to the family at the time. Therefore, there was no need to take "a bottle full of pills" in order to commit suicide. In fact, if Nick happened to take just a few extra pills to help him sleep that night, then the cumulative effect may have been lethal. If he took a full bottle, or some thirty, then there is no doubt that it would have killed him. Whatever the case - and the latter seems likely based on family testimony - Nick was ultimately responsible for what happened to him that evening, though he may have been helpless in altering its course.

Important details concerning the precise intake of drugs - prescription and possibly also recreational - on the evening of 24th November and in the days immediately prior are subject to conjecture as the coroner’s analysis has never been released and Nick's body was cremated shortly after his death. Therefore, the amount of toxic chemicals in his body at the time of death are not publically known, if, indeed, detailed toxicological tests were ever carried out post mortem. The 1979 statement by Rodney Drake, and that made in 1998 by Gabrielle, are the only references we have to Nick having taken an extra dose of Tryptizol that night, on top of his normal dose. They conflict with other accounts by Rodney and Molly which make no reference to the additional dosage. Also, no information is given as to how Rodney knew that his son had taken an extra dose. We must assume that following his death, he, Molly and the doctor found an empty pill bottle and surmised an overdose that evening, having knowledge (as Molly stated) in regards to Nick's consumption of pills. Though they apparently saw no harm in Tryptizol. In that same 1979 interview Rodney states, in response to his wife’s comment that Nick was having a "rotten night":

"…..a rotten night and he said "to hell with it" and he took the whole lot of them, and I'm told now that they are dangerous to the heart and so on. And obviously, it was more than he could take. And it killed him. But there were many times before, that we would have been much more worried about Nick, doing something of that sort than we were at this particular time, that's the extraordinary thing about it."

Death was unexpected and "extraordinary" in the mind of Nick's father. The tone of this statement also suggests that the elder Drake was rationalising in his own mind the supposed purposeful suicide of his son. The statement "to hell with it" indicates as much, though of course he may never have heard Nick say this, and it must be seen as mere conjecture. The comment also clearly points to earlier, more serious episodes, when Nick was openly suicidal. The accidental nature may also be intoned from Rodney's comment that at the time he and Molly were not as concerned for Nick's mental state as they had been in the past.

Nick Drake, Hampstead Heath, London, November 1971. Photograph: Keith Morris.

One unconfirmed account speaks of an attempt by Nick to hang himself from a roof beam at Far Leys during 1973 (Apple 1993). Nick apparently used three belts nailed into the roof beams and jumped. The fall broke a number of bones, but did not kill him.

A reading of the various accounts of his life suggest that Nick was leading two lives during this period of illness. One was based at home, where he was rather solitary, subject to medical care and the effects of his prescription medication, and his illness was open for those around him to see and deal with. Whilst at home he would rest, meditate, read, listen to music and pursue his own music, writing and playing. His other life was external, where he would travel to London and other places, including France, and attempt to lead a normal life through social engagement and pursuit of his music. As a result people such as photographer and fellow card-player Keith Morris did not see Nick as a tragic figure, but instead enjoyed his social side right through to the end.

We can only imagine how Molly and Rodney Drake, and friends and family, dealt with Nick's mental problems (illness) over the years. When did it initially manifest itself to a degree which caused concern? When did it become a serious, debilitating problem? Did the family try to keep it as secret as possible? Who knew the full extent of Nick's illness? Who did not know? Was it a treatable illness, or some form of self-imposed deep melancholia, as has been suggested? If it was a genuine mental illness, as seems likely, Molly and Rodney Drake would have been largely helpless onlookers who could merely stand by and offer support and comfort, in lieu of available medical and psychological support, either offered or accepted. Gabrielle Drake has pointed out how the life of her parents revolved around Nick during his time of illness in the early 1970s, and that a good day for him was a good day for them. This indicates the seriousness of the problem - perhaps it was similar to modern-day bipolar - and of her brother’s fragile mental state. He was hospitalised on a number of occasions, but ultimately preferred to pursue his own course, either at home or with friends.

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3. The Morton Jack Account

Richard Morton Jack, in his 2023 biography of Nick, described his death as follows in the end of a chapter entitled Watching the water going by:

.... Nick was restless, as was often the case. In the middle of the rainy night he made his way downstairs, had a bowl of cornflakes in the kitchen and listened to an album of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto on headphones in the music room. [The maid ] Naw heard him about at around 5.30 a.m., but Molly happened not to. Back in his cold bedroom, he picked up his current bottle of Tryptizol which contained around sixty pills. Tired, dejected by his musical stagnation and unable to envisage a fulfilled future, he swallowed them all. Then, having shrugged off his dressing gown, he lay on his back on top of his bed, wearing only a pair of briefs, his long legs stretching towards the door, and awaited oblivion.

In regards to the cause of death, Morton Jack records the following in the following chapter:

... the pathologist, Dr Kenneth Holly, stated that he had found evidence in Nick's body of a 'serious overdose' - a minimum of thirty five pills' worth from stomach samples and up to a further fifty from blood samples. This had led to respiratory paralysis and heart failure. Even allowing for residue from recent days, there was no way Nick could have taken even the lower estimate by accident. The verdict was therefore inevitable: 'Acute amitriptyline poisoning - self administered when suffering from a depressive illness. (Suicide).'

Notable aspects of the Morton Jack account include:

A clear determination of pre-meditated suicide on the part of Nick.
The suggestion of the recent taking of up to 85 Tryptizol pills.
Nick still being alive at around 5.30 am. The doctor had elsewhere determined that he likely died around 6 am.
No mention of Nick being found slumped across the bed, evidence of a collapse, but rather the statement that he was laying in a normal position in his bed.
The reference to the Tryptizol bottle containing 60 pills, as against the 30 mentioned in other accounts.

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3. A lethal cocktail of prescribed drugs

Rodney Drake described the circumstances of his son’s death in a letter dated 1 January 1975 to Dr. James Lusk, alluding to two additional drugs heretofore not mentioned or identified. The letter states:

"On the morning of November 25th Molly went in to his room to wake him as it was nearly midday and found him collapsed across his bed, and the doctor, when he came, said he must have been dead for six hours or more. The cause of death was given as an overdose of Tryptizol, which was one of the three things he was taking on prescription. The other two being Stelazine and Disipal…."

The statement by Rodney Drake that his son was taking more than just Tryptizol at the time of his death is a revelation, as both Stelazine and Disipal may very likely have played a role in the lethal nature of the overdose. Reference to this additional intake of prescription drugs has not been made in former discussions on the artist’s death. We can only assume that the coroner was also aware of the other drugs that Nick was taking, though no reference is made to this. The verdict of suicide was questioned by family and friends at the time, with the apparent lack of a suicide note and Nick’s recent positive state of mind following a visit to France given in support of such a view.

The suicide verdict was not based on any substantial evidence which has ever been made public. The "Amitriptyline [Tryptizol] poisoning" verdict was not doubted at the time, nor was the statement regarding "self administered when suffering from a depressive illness." However, the coroner then implies suicide from this by placing the word in brackets thus "(suicide)" in his report, as though it may have been a tentative, unproven assessment

On the other hand, it should be noted that various people felt that Nick had committed suicide, and there were signs to support this. Whilst some speak of an improvement in his mood just prior to death (e.g. Rodney Drake), apparently other friends and acquaintances did not agree with this and saw no obvious change to a long period of depression and withdrawal. The question of intentional suicide is perhaps unanswerable. It has been noted in studies of suicides, that prior to taking such action individuals can seem buoyed and even happy, in the knowledge of what they plan and a possible end to their suffering.

The accidental overdose scenario is open to further consideration if we look at the various drugs which had been prescribed to Nick Drake in order to help him deal with his depressive illness. It is in this area that the most interesting and relevant new information is to be found, following Rodney Drake's statement that at the time of death Nick was taking the following prescription medication:

Tryptizol
Stelazine
Disipal

Nick also took Mogodon and Valium throughout his period of illness, adding to the lethal cocktail of chemicals in his system. Only Tryptizol poisoning is given as an official cause of death by the coroner, with no apparent reference to the other two drugs. Precise dosages and the period of time over which Nick had been taking these drugs is not known, though he sought medical treatment of his depressive illness in 1971 and was briefly hospitalised the following year. This, along with his subsequent behaviour and deteriorating physical condition, would suggest that Nick had been on medication for a lengthy period of some 3-4 years at the time of death. We know he had also been prescribed Valium at various times following initial diagnosis.

Based on information contained in the Humphries biography, a picture of the artist’s general state of health can be formed. Born in 1948, of parents who lived to a relatively ripe old age, Nick grew to be a 6 ft 3 inches tall young man in a good state of health and fitness during his school years. He played rugby and was a top athlete, excelling at the sprint. During high school Nick took up smoking, and upon leaving school experimented with, and became a frequent user of drugs such as marijuana and hashish. Nick was also an occasional drinker, though nothing out of the ordinary. Humphries mentions that he had an operation to remove painful kidney stones around the time of the recording of Bryter Layter in mid 1970, which suggests some problems in that area. This operation and associated illness may have been one of the causes of the onset of depression. Generally, Nick was a healthy, fit young man up until this point in time. It was only in later life that he became pale, gaunt and sickly, and this coincides with his period of depression and prescribed medication.

Whether heroin use was also a factor is discussed below, as it had been noted that Nick had the appearance of a drug addict at that time - he was disheveled, did not take good physical career of his attire and appearance, with long dirty fingernails and an unkempt look, and was withdrawn and at times almost mute. Nick, at various stages of his life, was also a very sociable person, a leader, and confident in his abilities. Yet, at the same time we have accounts of him as being quiet and withdrawn from an early age. There is therefore no clear picture of Nick Drake in this regard. He pushed himself to become a pop star and engage in the lifestyle that came with that at the time, at least to a certain degree. But he also found solace in the protective environment of his family home. Unfortunately this latter circumstance was seen by him as a failure, in both life and his career as a musician. His song Hanging on a Star reflects this anger at how his life had turned out, and the conversation he had with his former producer Joe Boyd who he felt was partially to blame:

Hanging on a star

Why leave me hanging on a star
When you deem me so high
When you deem me so high
When you deem me so high.

And why leave me sailing in a sea
When you hear me so clear
When you hear me so clear
When you hear me so clear.

And why leave me hanging on a star
When you deem me so high
When you deem me so high
When you deem me so high.

We can state that after 1970 that aspect of Nick's personality which tendered towards melancholia did become pronounced. Yet even then, and right up until the time of death, he was interacting with some of his friends and acquaintances on almost a ‘normal’ level. Evidence of this is seen by the comments of Keith Morris in the recent film on Nick, wherein he strongly takes exception to the presentation of Nick as a grim, doomed artist. Nick also travelled a lot during his life - this is revealed in the extract from his father's diary and mentions of his various adventures at the wheel of a car, including trips to, for example, France. He visited friends regularly, continuing to do so even in his final days, though in a somewhat scaled down fashion and limited as ever by the effect of prescription and other drugs upon him. Whether many of these trips were merely to secure drugs is unknown.

As a musician he performed in public for a period, yet he was naturally shy. His lifestyle was not generally sedentary, though it later became this way, one largely suspects due to the drugs he was administered. As a result he kept more to his own company, spoke less freely, and concentrated on playing and practicing his music, whilst retreating more and more into his own world through meditation, or as part of drug-induced waking comas, where he would sit and stare blankly at his bedroom wall for hours on end. It was likely as a result of this that his closest female friend made the decision to end their relationship just prior to his death - a decision which, to this day, she remains traumatised about, not necessarily blaming herself, but more in realising that she, and others, were helpless in saving Nick.

If we try to divide Nick Drake’s life into pre-illness and illness periods, then problems arise and the division can be shown to be arbitrary and inconsistent. It would perhaps be better to talk of Nick Drake’s illness as an evolving manifestation which became prominent after 1970. The slow onset also helps explain the contrary opinions offered post-mortem by his friends and acquaintances who experienced it to varying degrees, if at all. The actual cause of the depressive illness is unknown. He was always a somewhat shy person, and his songs reflected a melancholic sentiment from earliest days, as did his mother Molly's compositions. But he was also lively, creative and mentally and physically strong. He could not only run fast, but he could also take on hardened record industry folk and win battles there, in order to defend his music. His use of mind altering and illegal drugs such as LSD after leaving school in 1967 may have caused some irreparable damage to his psyche, as they did to other well known musicians such as Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) and Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd). His heavy use of marijuana from 1966 may have also played a part in inducing psychosis. Long term use has been associated with bipolar disorder, for example. We will never know whether it was a drug-induced psychotic reaction which caused the onset of the illness diagnosed as depression in Nick Drake after 1970, or some other cause, such as his hospitalisation for kidney stones. We do know, however, that around this time everything changed. Perhaps he had a genetic predisposition to clinical depression, and it was set off during 1970 by the stresses associated with his physical illness, public performance anxiety, lack of success as a pop star, and recording pressures. If we assume that Nick was relatively healthy and mentally stable prior to this, and that there were no major health problems in his immediate family - evidenced by their relatively long lives - then we can bear this in mind when discussing the possible effects of the various drugs prescribed to him upon the onset of depression and related mental illnesses. A brief description of each of the three drugs referred to by Rodney Drake is given below.

Tryptizol

Tryptizol is one of many brand names for the antidepressant drug Amitriptyline – the local coroner recorded Nick’s death as resulting from "Amitriptyline poisoning". It is one of a family known as Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs). It encourages sleep (a sedative) and alleviates anxiety in depression. When taken in overdose it can cause coma and abnormal heart rhythms, thereby explaining in large part the events around Nick Drake's death. It can result in this as it has an anticholinergic action which blocks the transmission of signals through the heart. An overdose of the drug may not necessarily result in a reaction for many hours, but may in fact take days. Its antidepressant effect is reduced by smoking, therefore a heavy smoker such as Nick could tend to take a larger than prescribed dose in order to achieve the effect gained by a non-smoker. Such a larger dose could eventually prove lethal, and it is because of this that some doubt arises over whether he meaningfully took an overdose to die, or meaningfully took extra pills in order to have the desired effect of a normal dose. Also, Tryptizol can impair mental and physical abilities required for the performance of tasks, whether these be working, driving, or even playing a guitar. According to a 1989 study, Tryptizol is the antidepressant 'most likely to be associated with death from overdose' and its toxicity 'appears to be greater than all antidepressants' (Montgomery et al. 1989). Additionally, it 'may induce suicide more than other antidepressants' and 'increased suicides may result from inadequately treated depression.' It is noted that it should not be taken with other antidepressant drugs such as Disipal.

All in all, Tryptizol is a drug which must be subject to close monitoring and is undoubtedly dangerous. The lethal dose is a mere 8 times the therapeutic dose. If Nick Drake was given it as an antidepressant, was unaware of its many dangerous side effects, took higher than normal doses due to his smoking, and used it to deal with insomnia, then we have all the ingredients for a fatal outcome. It is noteworthy that it is suicide-inducing and this confirms reports that Nick hated taking such medication and felt that it changed his very being such that he no longer had control of who or what he was. It is also clear that the toxicity of the drug was not on the public record, or in the Drake household, during 1974, with all the Drakes unaware of its lethal nature.

Stelazine

Nick Drake was also taking Stelazine (Trifluoperazine hydrochloride) at the time of his death. Stelazine is used to treat severe mental disturbances and anxiety. It is a highly potent anti-psychotic drug which can cause lethargy and sleepiness. It has numerous side effects, inducing drowsiness, eye problems resulting in a state of fixed gaze, a totally unresponsive state, and heart attack. It should not be taken in conjunction with central nervous system depressants, such as Disipal (see below). Stelazine can mask or hide the effect of overdose of other drugs. Overdose of Stelazine can induce coma, similar to that of Tryptizol and Disipal. A "fixed gaze, [and] totally unresponsive state" was noted in Nick Drake on a number of occasions after 1970. Whether this was a side-effect of the Stelazine or due to some other cause is not known, though the above would suggest the former. Once again, Nick Drake may have suffered severe side effects from the use of this drug and it may have played a part in his death.

Disipal

Disipal (Orphenadrine) is an anticholinergic muscle relaxant used to relieve muscle pain. It effects the central nervous system and can cause dizziness and light-headedness. Overdose may result in fits or coma. It is dangerous if the patient has long-term kidney problems and should not be taken in conjunction with TCAs (e.g. Tryptizol) which can increase the side effects such as mental confusion and increased heartbeat. Nick Drake’s kidney stone problem of 1970 has been noted above, and may have exacerbated any side-effects of the Disipal he was prescribed. It is especially dangerous if taken alongside the similarly anticholinergic Tryptizol.

This brief summary of the pharmacological and medical effects of the drugs which Nick Drake is known to have taken towards the end of his life clearly indicates their toxicity and danger. All three can produce life threatening side effects such as coma and heart arrhythmia. All three are dangerous in excess and may have a cumulative effect on the central nervous system and heart. Subsequent research has revealed that they should not be prescribed in tandem, and their use should be limited (time-wise) and closely monitored. A patient should be made aware of the high probability of accidental overdose, which is as little as 8 times the therapeutic dose with TCA drugs such as Tryptizol. Also, a recent study has found that between 25-50% of patients admitted to hospitals in the United States for drug overdose had TCA toxicity, indicating that it is relatively easy – either knowingly or unknowingly – to overdose on these drugs. Comments by Rodney and Molly Drake would suggest that the family was unaware of the toxicity of the drugs Nick was ingesting at the time, and that therefore Nick was also unaware of their danger, even though he was fully cognisant of their undesirable side-effects. This was obvious from the comment by his parents that he did not like taking his medication. Based on a preliminary reading of the now known toxicity and possible side effects of Tryptizol, Stelazine and Disipal, it is entirely feasible that they were, either alone or more likely in combination, the direct cause of Nick Drake’s death. The coroner stated as much, though he limited his comments to Tryptizol.

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4. Suicide or Accidental Overdose?

In regards to the non-pharmacological elements of Nick Drake’s death, the local coroner brought down a verdict of '(suicide)'. This was perhaps a logical conclusion at the time, based on the subject’s medical record and comments provided by his parents and doctor/s in regards to having a previous history of long term depression and relatively recent suicidal tendencies. However, the ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ evidence for meaningful, premeditated – or even spontaneous – suicide does not exist. There was apparently no suicide note. There was no definitive evidence - apart from Molly and Rodney's assertion in regards to the bottle of tablets - that Nick actually took an extra dosage of his medication on the night of his death, despite the fact that he did die of an overdose. There is no evidence that Nick or his family were even aware that drugs such as Tryptizol were toxic and could be used in a suicide attempt. But perhaps more tellingly, many of Nick’s family and friends noted that he had been in a relatively cheerful mood in the months and weeks immediately prior to his death. Or so they thought. There was no evidence that he was in a suicidal state at this time, or that he had made any statements that he was considering such action. Robert Kirby, Nick’s longtime friend and musical collaborated, stated in an interview with Jerry Gilbert published just two weeks after his death, that Nick appeared happier than usual, though this was not enough to rule out suicide in his own mind:

He was the happiest I'd ever seen him just before his death, but he was usually despondent simply because he had nothing to do and couldn't see a direction for himself. I think London upset him, and he didn't like it here at all. In fact he was upset by a lot of things that he saw and heard. He was just too sensitive. He was ready for death alright, I just think he'd had enough, there was no fight left in him. All his songs were epigrams - little extracts of philosophy and you could either take them optimistically or pessimistically. Yet I get the feeling that if he was going to commit suicide he would have done so a long time ago.

The comments are insightful, but send a number of different signals in regards to the psychological causes, if any, of Nick’s death. These comments, from someone who knew Nick well, indicate the difficulties in understanding the complexities of his life and times. Whilst Kirby is clearly rationalising the case for meaningful suicide, he is also suggesting the opposite. Nick Kent, a music journalist, spoke to some of Nick’s wide circle of friends shortly after his death. He was fortunate enough to contact a group (drug addicts?) who had spent time with Nick just prior to his death. Kent recorded the following chilling observations:

And what I remember is that there was a woman there who seemed to know him very well, and she spoke very, very affectionately about him …. It’s awfully, awfully sad. The thing that she said to me …. I just started crying when she said it, because she said he came round to this flat three days before he died, and he said to those people: "You remember me. You remember me how I was. Tell me how I was. I used to have a brain. I used to be somebody. What happened to me? What happened to me?" (Humphries, 192).

These comments indicate that, just prior to his death, Nick Drake was aware of the mental state he was in, both physically and mentally. His medication and any other non-prescription drugs he may happen to have been using were all having an effect on him. He was obviously despondent. Whether we can, from this information, proclaim him suicidal, is questionable. He was very concerned about his health and his future. He saw that he was unable to function normally in his current state, and may have therefore been at a turning point. But the comments suggest he knew the state he was in and may therefore have been able to take action to address it. Unfortunately he was taken away before that could come to pass.

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5. Descent into darkness – Scott Appel's heroin overdose scenario

Nick Drake lives on through his music. If we knew nothing at all about his life and times, then the music recorded by him between 1967-74 would still be recognised and appreciated for what it is – timeless, moving and beautiful. It therefore matters little, at the end of the day, as to the precise details of his life, though fans obviously get much pleasure from going down a path of knowing the man behind the music and perhaps better understanding what drove him to produce what he did. The point to be made here is that it is irrelevant to the listener whether Nick Drake died from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication; whether he meaningfully committed suicide using those drugs; or even whether he was, in his later years, a heroin addict and that this drug played a major part in his accidental or premeditated death. What matters most is the music. Everything else is ephemeral. The beauty of songs such as Strange Meeting II and Fruit Tree, written early in his career, is in no way affected by knowledge of the so-called truths or myths of his life. Their only use, perhaps, is in helping explain why Nick Drake had so many problems in writing, recording and performing his music after 1970, when the onset of physical and mental illness and the intake of prescription medication and recreational drugs caused major changes in his life and personality. A true fan of Nick Drake is not going to "turn-off" because various elements of his life are revealed to be less than wholesome and pure. In fact, the truth may enhance interest, as we come to understand the frail. human qualities of our subject. The truth about Nick Drake – warts and all – should therefore be revealed, without fear or favour. After all, the early 1970s were a time of widespread drug use among the rock industry and wider community of young people, and the onset of many casualties. If Nick Drake was in some way a victim of his time and of the music scene, then so be it. To hide or deny this aspect of his life is ultimately a betrayal of Nick himself. The following information and discussion is therefore provided in the hope that it will better enable us to understand the beauty and wonder of the music of Nick Drake.

Scott Appel

According to comments made public during 1999, substantially by the late Scott Appel (1954-2003), Nick Drake died of a heroin overdose on the night of 24-25 November 1974. Specific information relating to this subject includes the following:

Nick Drake had been using – snorting – heroin on a regular basis for perhaps 1-2 years prior to his death.
A close friend helped provide the artist with a supply of the drug.
Nick scored a small amount of heroin from his friend on the night of his death.
Nick regularly scored heroin and other drugs from among his coterie of friends in London and beyond.
A friend of Rodney and Molly Drake was successful in efforts to convince the assistant coroner not to mention that heroin had been found in their son’s body at the time of death.
In Nick’s room after his death, Molly Drake found a sealed letter to his fiance. She delivered it to the woman, who later stated that it contained 'pretty much what you would expect’. It is therefore suggested that it was some form of suicide note.
Nick Drake had long been a user of drugs – from his late teens (circa 1967) he had used marijuana, hashish, LSD, Mogadon and Nembutol. Heroin was apparently a late addition to this list of recreational drugs. He was also a heavy smoker during these years.
Many of Nick’s friends from this period believed that he had committed suicide, intentionally overdosing.

The following are the actual Nick Drake Place-to-be listserv postings by Scott Appel during 1999. They are rambling and associated with Appel's own illness at the time, as a result of which he passed away just four years later. Some of the comments therein indicate a lack of awareness of the toxicity of the prescription drugs Nick was taking at the time of his death, and as outlined above.

From owner-place-to-be@cogsci.ed.ac.uk Wed Mar 10 04:34:10 1999

From: SAppel7866@aol.com

Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 23:32:04 EST

Subject: P-t-B: "i copped and caught a movie, but you know it can't last"

"the lights come up and I just crash..."* (Chris Whitley: NARCOTIC PRAYER)

I've thought and thought about whether to post this, and what the reaction would be. I don't know if anyone needs to know what follows, and (forgive me) I just had a Cardiolite Persantine test, which revealed my ejection fraction [EF] has lowered to the teens. I've been on borrowed time - you don't live with an EF that low. So, hard decisions. I feel I must reveal things I have learned over the last 15 years - God knows this will start a war. All of this information comes from reliable sources - friends of Nick [Drake] - though I will refuse to name anyone. Some may prefer to view it as a product of my skewed imagination, but I've come upon too much corroborating evidence from reliable people that I can't discount the sickening outline. Which is why I'm protective - but no-one else has any intention of telling the truth, and it will therefore die with me. These are not hard facts, but as I said, most of the information came first hand. Tears were shed and I don't believe anyone would fabricate such circumstances - especially several people telling me the exact same story.

I should start from the end: Nick died of a heroin overdose.

In spite of the nature of Rodney and Molly, the stigma was still too powerful. The assistant coroner was convinced to co-operate and falsify the death certificate. Nick was cremated only hours after the true circumstances were revealed. Check with a pharmacist or Dr. - a tycyclic antidepressant won't kill anyone even in the hundreds of milligrams.

I've talked to many people about the truth of his life and death. Everyone advised against telling the story. There's a great deal more .... As I've alluded to, there was probably not a day in Nick's life where he wasn't extremely fucked up. Favorites were acid,hash, marijuana, later Nembutol (a barbiturate he found easy to score), and contrary to the raging debate, he was a drinker, though not one I would consider heavy, as with his peers it was mostly wine and ale. Hard liquor was expensive, hard to come by, and not frequently used. He made a habit of entering the living room by falling down the stairs from his bedroom in an unintelligible state.

As I'd mentioned, often a weekend guest of Gabrielle's spent most of her time in his bed. This is what pisses me off so much about the stupid raging debate regarding his sexuality. I'm no homophobe, but there are literally scores of girls he went to bed with. This information comes to me most often. If he had an anima, he didn't act on it, at least so far as people are willing to say ...

He never shot heroin, so far as anyone knows, and there were no needle marks. He seems to have taken the route of [those] such as [Eric] Clapton, snorting fair quantities. This, coupled with the 3 medications he was taking, may have made for a lethal combination. Taken separately, none would kill an individual with the exception of the junk, had he ingested enough. This seems to be the single cause of his death. He had been using for quite awhile, so should have developed a tolerance - but in the end he was a skeleton - "refused to wash, brush his hair." If anyone on the list knows a junkie, you know the signs of impending doom. (To be fair, I've used heroin, speed balls, Demerol, the list goes on, so I in no way am trying to imply a weakness in Nick's character. I couldn't have more respect for his work, or love him more for his accomplishments in spite of what he went through. I'm heterosexual if anyone wants to debate this after my demise. I was married, am now blissfully divorced). *references upon request*

There's too much to tell that hasn't been told, and I'll forget a great deal of the details. My biggest concern, as I stated, is that this may crush many list-members, the truth being covered up; so much of his enigmatic life a mystery. Please remember there is a delete key.

For most of us, this may smack of a JFK cover-up. Still, I've only scratched the surface. I still maintain, and always will, that his death was unintentional. This may come as a complete shock, but Nick attempted suicide by hanging the summer before his death. He used 3 belts - nailed them into beams in the attic and jumped. He broke a number of bones as the beam didn't support him, but this too was viewed as an accidental fall. He sought no treatment.

The most curious aspect of his death is that he copped [scored heroin] that very night - and a reasonably small amount at that. Why buy a non-lethal dose unless he had a supply and intended to use it throughout the night. His supplier (a good friend) perhaps thought "If Nick is feeling suicidal, this amount will not kill him". I think most likely he stockpiled. The friend, in my view, is blameless. He wasn't a dealer looking to make a profit, just a friend trying to get Nick through a bad time. Times were never worse. His fiancee - I'm assuming most of you know who I mean - was one of the most completely supportive people in his life. [She] was there 'til the end, when there was no hope of Nick kicking his habits. I spoke to her twice and she still finds it too painful to go on record about the final days.

She must be one hell of a sweetheart - she never gave up - even though there was no hope. In the end, it was more than obvious. He couldn't communicate, slept as much as he could, only to face another day to fix. Hence the long drives which many attribute to therapeutic; he was merely too fucked up to find his way. He relied on others to sell him the junk, and there was a large coterie that he constantly asked "Do you have any dope?"

It's understandable that people would like to think Nick was creative and needed to fuel his creativity with drugs and hallucinogens. I myself always thought "If I stop the booze and dope, I'll lose the music." It's bullshit. How on earth could Nick have composed a body of work such as he did under the influence of a great deal of drugs. It's mind-boggling.

I may have overstepped my bounds enormously. Many people who told me what I've written about advised "Never share this". It won't do his memory any good. I wrestled as I said and don't even know if I can push the send button. I know I would want to know these things, painful as they may be. I'm tired of the myth. Sorry if I offend anyone, and as long as I last, I'll be happy to fill in the blanks where I can, personally or to the group. As I said, I will not name a name. They would have come out about the truth long ago - or at least after Rodney and Molly's passing. I'm out of gas, but I can't bring myself to fill up.

Love Scott

* The following was posted by Scott on Wednesday, 10 March 1999:

to receive us when changes fail.......

I want everyone on the list to know I would never have come forward with the information I posted were it not for my impending death. I get the feeling everyone is as passionate as I am re Nick, and have a right to know the truth. I'm going to make some enormous enemies for saying the things I said, but what difference does it make, my time is short. There are people in the shadows that feel the truth should never be known <PASOLINI: HE WHO SPEAKS THE TRUTH SHALL DIE> well let it be. The question I received in virtually every post was "Who was his fiancee?" No, not Robin. Someone who has chosen to live an anonymous life and no longer speaks about Nick. I haven't heard from her in years, but her last post came from London. I believe she's still alive - though a fragile lovely woman who has never gotten over Nick's death and finds it too painful to discuss; though initially she seemed to want to set the record straight. I will not name her - if she's still living it would be unfair to attack her at this time for the sake of this group.

If these statements are ultimately substantiated by Nick’s friends and acquaintances – and there is every reason to believe that they bear a large element of truth – then some reassessment of Nick’s death will obviously need to be made. If we take them on face value, then we can perhaps present a scenario outlining Nick Drake’s final years and his descent in darkness.

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6. An illness that could not be seen

It seems clear that up until 1970 Nick Drake was a relatively normal, if somewhat shy, individual. Highly motivated, talented, and strong, both physically and mentally, he spent the years 1967-70 refining his skills as a singer, songwriter and guitarist and actively pursuing a career in music. He was lucid, charming, intelligent and not averse to performing. We have the story of his visit to Marrakesh in 1967 and of how, when he ran into the Rolling Stones there, he had no hesitation in fronting up to them and performing. This indicates an air of confidence and fearlessness. Yet during the early part of 1970 everything began to change. He pulled out of the various performing dates set up for him to support his Five Leaves Left album and build a public profile. His physical illness - removal of kidney stones - and the recording of Bryter Layter during the middle of 1970 added to the stresses confronting him. Perhaps as a result of all this he suffered a psychotic episode or nervous breakdown, which manifested in a form of depression and was diagnosed as such. This episode may have some origin in his use of recreational drugs from 1967 onward. The debilitating effects of such an illness can be extreme. It appears from published testimony that Nick’s mental illness was very real, and that in dealing with it his parents Rodney and Molly played a central role, though all were reliant on the use of prescription drugs to deal with the situation as Nick was adverse to the intervention of a psychiatrist or psychologist. After 1971 Nick was forced to return home in order to deal with his illness. He could not survive alone, in his London apartment, but needed extra care. His parents would have assisted financially in having his illness diagnosed, or at least dealt with, in enabling Nick to be hospitalised during the most extreme periods of illness, and in ensuring that he had access to the various medications which were believed - at that time - could help him deal with the depression, or whatever the illness was. It seems that the precise details of Nick’s illness and treatment were kept largely quiet, and within the family, perhaps due to the stigma then attached to mental illness, and fears that it could affect his career as a musician. It is unclear what was made public whilst he was still alive, though obviously a lot came out after his death, such as his hospitalisation and use of prescription drugs.

Nick was therefore forced to lead two lives, or rather, he chose to lead two lives. One life was that of a medicated, home bound depressive, living a quiet life in the country at Tanworth-in-Arden with his parents. In this he had no option during various periods. The other was as a working musician and composer, mingling with friends and lovers in London, where drug taking and music were the order of the day. Of course, these two lives sometimes overlapped. When Rodney and Molly spoke of their son disappearing for days on end, and of their not knowing his whereabouts, this was the manifestation of his efforts to survive in that other world. Nick was a young man trying to lead a normal life during exciting times, yet he was continually constrained by the harsh realities of his illness, forcing him to dispense with his independence and return home - something he did not want to do. It is freely acknowledged that, as a result, Nick Drake compartmentalised his life, keeping one group of friends in the dark in regards to any other group, and even his family. And he was good at this. The development of a secretive persona would protect him from being found out as a person of unstable mental disposition. It would also allow him to lead a relatively normal social life among one group, whilst able to disappear and recuperate with another. Some friends were aware of the two parts to Nick and sought to help; others remained oblivious throughout his life. It could therefore be asked – did Nick’s family know the details of his life in London and France? Did they know about the drug taking, the women, and the music? Likewise, did his music industry friends know of his prescribed mental illness, of the medication he was forced to take in order to supposedly stabilise his moods and limit any suicidal tendencies? Did they know of the many dangers and side effects of his prescribed medication? It seems not, and it seems that Nick meaningfully decided to keep this aspect of his life secret. There is also the possibility that he rejected the diagnosis of mental illness, and lived in denial. His ‘secretiveness’ may also have been one of his symptoms. It seems that whilst many of Nick’s friends observed examples of his strange behaviour, few, if any, were fully aware of its causes. These strange behaviours were most likely the result not only of his illness, but also of the drugs he had been prescribed. For example, Brian Wells tells a story in the 1998 BBC documentary on Nick of a friend visiting his house and seeing Nick sitting motionless in his room staring blankly at a wall. As we have seen above, such a behaviour is one of the known side-effects of the drug Stelazine, though he may also have simply been meditating.

It seems that Nick was not informed by his doctors of the side effects of the drugs they were prescribing. It is likely that the precise side effects were unknown at that stage, or that Nick choose to ignore them. There is a strong suggestion that his parents were ill-informed as to the toxicity of the three prescription drugs he was taking at the time of his death. Likewise, we do not know if Nick and his doctors discussed the possible effects of mixing his prescription drugs with the "recreational" drugs he had been taking since at least 1967. We now know that these so-called recreational drugs can not only accelerate the onset of psychotic episodes, but they can have a dangerous effect when taken in tandem with prescription drugs. Perhaps his doctors told him to stop taking these social drugs whenever he was on his medication. Nick’s parents have stated that their son did not like taking the psychiatric drugs. This is of course understandable, if we remember that, at the time, Nick was a young man embarking on a career as a musician, with women and men swooning about him, enchanted by his talent and good looks. However, the fragile state of his being following the onset of mental illness is also readily evident. For example, the extraordinary recording of his album Pink Moon in 1972 was a somewhat strained affair, and an effort to record in 1974 was downright painful for all involved. Many of his friends and colleagues noted that after 1970 Nick slowly withdrew into himself and had difficulty in communicating verbally. Once again, perhaps this was due in part to the mood stabilising drugs he was taking and may have been exacerbated by his kidney stone illness and operation.

Nick Drake’s mental illness did not simply go away like a cold, and he did not ever recover from it. Between 1970-4 the evidence of this was manifested in a variety of forms – his inability to verbalise in certain social situations; the aloofness and distant manner; the deterioration in his health; his increasingly unkempt appearance; the inability to make music as time went on; and his descent into a dark world of suicidal thoughts and actions, depression, and suggested heroin abuse. Nick’s parents indicate in various interviews that their son was, just prior to his death, in a relative happy and content state, unlike their recent experiences where suicide was an ever present worry. Therefore they believed that he did not commit suicide on the night of 24-25 November 1974. And there is no doubt that they were the most capable of making such an assessment, even though they may have been wrong. The existence of a possible suicide note to his girlfriend could settle this question, though its content has yet to be revealed. The presence of a Nick Drake "death by heroin overdose" scenario does not necessarily answer our question in regards to suicide versus accidental overdose. It merely adds another lethal ingredient to the drug cocktail which formed part of his life at the time. The precise chemical and psychological effects of heroin on Nick Drake during 1974 are unknown. However, it has been shown that his three prescribed medications were dangerous in combination. The addition of even a small amount of heroin to this mixture could easily have been enough to tip the scales and cause death. Apart from that aspect, the reality of Nick Drake as a user of heroin is perhaps incidental, as he apparently used a wide variety of recreational drugs, like so many of his friends. Whatever the truth in regards to the life and death of Nick Drake, this author would hope that those with knowledge in regards to some of the issues raised above would come forward.

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7. The final letter

'Heartbreak letter clue to death of cult singer'

{Richard Brooks, The Sunday Times, London, 26 January 2006}

He died in obscurity more than 30 years ago, but since then his cult following has boomed, headed by stars such as Brad Pitt and Sir Elton John. Now a newly discovered letter may contain the key to the death of Nick Drake, the singer-guitarist whose life ended with an overdose of antidepressants at the age of 26. The letter, addressed to the woman he adored, was found on Drake’s desk near his body. He had written it the previous afternoon, expressing his heartbreak at the end of their relationship. The letter is likely to add to the romantic legend that has surrounded Drake since his death. The singer, who made only three albums, did not have his first single released until 2004, and in that year more of his records were sold than all those purchased between 1969 — the year of his first album — and 2003. Sophia Ryde, the woman for whom the letter was left, has disclosed its existence to the author of a new book about Drake. The details that Ryde has been willing to provide do not give conclusive proof of whether or not Drake killed himself, but they betray his state of mind. “It is clear with Sophia that he was very, very upset that she had ended their relationship,” said Trevor Dann, a former head of BBC music entertainment and author of the new biography, Darker Than the Deepest Sea, to be published next month. The coroner at Drake’s inquest issued a death certificate stating he had died from drug poisoning, adding the word “suicide” in brackets. The scant details have fueled speculation ever since. The biography includes interviews with Drake’s two closest female friends — Ryde and fellow musician Linda Thompson. While he was attracted to both, it appears he never consummated either relationship. Ryde became the nearest he ever had to a girlfriend, although she preferred the description “best (girl) friend”. Dann has discovered that Ryde, who met Drake in 1967, had told the singer about a week before his death that she wanted “more space in their relationship. I couldn’t cope with it. I asked him for some time. And I never saw him again”. The singer was born in 1948 in Burma where his father was an engineer. The family returned to England and Drake, whose sister is Gabrielle Drake, the actress, was educated at Marlborough college, in Wiltshire, where he became the lead in several schoolboy bands. There then followed a life-changing year for Drake before he went to Cambridge. In 1967 he had nine months off, spending part of it in Aix-En-Provence and part in north Africa. One of his companions was Richard Charkin, now chief executive of Macmillan, the publisher. The pair arrived in Tangier, Morocco, which, said Charkin, was “where you could get the best pot”. They then went to Marrakesh, where they met the Rolling Stones and Drake even played some Bob Dylan and Donovan numbers for the Stones as they all sat in a cafe.

Charkin recalls Drake, then 18, as “a good-looking sort of bloke but definitely shy”. His shyness, according to Dann, meant Drake was unable to form any intimate relationships and eventually stopped him performing live. Drake left Cambridge early to make his first album in 1969. He was praised by some critics but attracted only small numbers of fans. Melody Maker, the music magazine, assessed Drake as “an awkward mix of folk and cocktail jazz”.

Drake was found dead in his parents’ house in Tanworth-in-Arden, Warwickshire, on November 25, 1974. There was no suicide note, but the letter to Ryde was left on the desk along with exercise book containing the lyrics of all his songs written in longhand. Drake’s mother Molly gave the letter to Ryde at his funeral. Although Ryde has not divulged the exact words, she is not convinced by the official version of how Drake died. “Sophia didn’t think it was suicide, but more likely the tragic effect of taking too many of his pills, which, although antidepressants, were also used to help him sleep,” said Dann. Brad Pitt, the Hollywood star of films such as Troy, presented a BBC radio programme about the singer in 2004 and Sir Elton John told Dann of the influence of Drake’s first album Five Leaves Left: “I loved that album so much — the melodies, the non-conformity of the songs, their bleakness and their beauty, I found solace in them.”

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8. Summary

Nick Drake was obviously suffering a mental illness, diagnosed as depression, at the time of his death. It was treated as such by his doctors, and the medication he was given has now been shown to be highly toxic and subject to fatal overdose. The fact that three drugs were prescribed, or were being taken simultaneously by him, possibly along with other illegal or recreational drugs, was a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, nobody at the time saw it coming, least of all Nick. This author is swayed by the argument that the prescribed drugs killed Nick Drake and were largely responsible for his fragile mental and physical state at time of death. They may also have led him down a path to suicide, though this is less clearly indicated and can only be suggested. Whatever the actual truth, the mixture of Tryptizol, Stelazine and Disipal was a potent enough cocktail which a fragile personality such as Nick Drake was unable to withstand. Nick’s sister Gabrielle has stated in regards to her brother’s death:

I personally prefer to think Nick committed suicide, in the sense that I'd rather he died because he wanted to end it than it to be the result of a tragic mistake. That would seem to me to be terrible….. (Kirk, Melody Maker).

Saddening as it may be, it appears that Nick’s death was indeed a tragic mistake, and that Nick did not want to die, but passed away alone in the night primarily as the result of an unintentional overdose of prescription drugs - either the result of an extraordinary dose taken that night, or a cumulative effect of those taken over previous days. He and his family looked to those drugs to help him, yet at the end of the day they appear to have been incredibly destructive. They not only deprived him of his ability to create music and be the normal person he knew himself to be, but they also took away his life. Such a fate is indeed tragic.

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9. References

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Appel, Scott, "I copped and caught a movie, but you know it can't last", [posting to Place-to-be listserv], Wednesday, 10 March 1999.

Amitriptyline (Tryptizol), Medizine [online], 2006. Available URL: http://www.cix.co.uk/~cyberville/medizine/amitrip.html.

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Brown, Mick, Nick Drake - the fragile genius, Telegraph, London, 1997. Available URL: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/11250728/Nick-Drake-the-fragile-genius.html.

Buckley, N.A., Dawson, A.H., Whyte, I.M. and Henry, D.A., Greater toxicity in overdose of dothiepin than other tricyclic antidepressants, The Lancet, 343(8890), 15 January 1994, 159-61.

Dann, Trevor, Darker than the deepest sea: the search for Nick Drake, Da Capo Press, 2006, 306p.

Drake, Gabrielle and Callomon, Cally (editors), Nick Drake: Remembered for a while, Little, Brown & Co., London, 2014, 448p.

Gilbert, Jerry, Nick Drake – death of a genius, Sounds, 14 December 1974.

Hogan, Peter, Nick Drake - The complete guide to his music, Omnibus Press, 2009, 108p.

Humphries, Patrick, Nick Drake – the biography, Bloomsbury, London, 1998, 279p.

Kerr, G.W., McGuffie, A.C. and Wilkie, S., Tricyclic antidepressant overdose: a review, Emergency Medicine Journal, 18, 2001, 236-41.

Ledger, Heath, Black Eyed Dog [video], 2013. Duration: 3.30 minutes. Available URL: https://youtu.be/xEDKZNcr0qQ.

Manhattan, Diane, Oral medication – Tricyclic Antidepressants – Amitriptyline, IC Network [online], August 2001. Available URL: http://ic-network.com/glossary/glossarytricyclic.html.

McGrath, T.J., Nick Drake - Darkness can give you the brightest light, Dirty Linen, no.42, October / November 1992.

Montgomery, S.A., Baldwin, D., and Green, M., Why do amitriptyline and dothiepin appear to be so dangerous in overdose?, Acta Psychiatra Scandinavia – Supplement, 354, 1989, 47-53.

Morton Jack, Richard, Nick Drake: A Life, John Murray, London, 2023, 562p.

Orphenadrine (Disipal), Medizine [online], 2006. Available URL: http://www.cix.co.uk/~cyberville/medizine/orphenad.html.

-----, MedlinePlus [online], 2006. Available URL: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/orphenadrinesystemic202426.html.

-----, Proactive Health [online], 2006. Available URL: http://www.proactiveheatlh.org.

Simadis, Valerie, Second Grace: Remembering Nick Drake, Please Kill Me [blog], 4 April 2018. Available URL: https://pleasekillme.com/remembering-nick-drake/.

Solarski, Matthew, The Heath Ledger / Nick Drake connection, Pitchfork, 28 January 2008. Available URL: https://pitchfork.com/news/28474-the-heath-ledgernick-drake-connection/.

Black Eyed Dog - video produced by Heath Ledger.

Stelazine, HealthSquare [online], 2006. Available URL: http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/STE1412.html.

Trifluoperazine (Stelazine), Psyweb [online], 2006. Available URL: http://www.psyweb.com/Drughtm/trifne.html.

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First published: January 2009

Site last updated: 13 May 2024

Michael Organ, Australia (Home)

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The death of Nick Drake, Monday, 25 November 1974

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