LONDON — British fashion designer Alexander McQueen hanged himself after taking a mixture of cocaine, tranquillizers and sleeping pills, an inquest into his death has concluded.
According to the BBC, the London inquest was told that McQueen was under huge pressure from work and was "overwhelmed with grief" at the death of his mother just days before.
"The balance of his mind was disturbed," coroner Paul Knapman told the BBC.
McQueen reportedly had a history of depression, anxiety and insomnia. The inquest said he had attempted suicide before and that he used the Web to research killing himself prior to his death.
"Lee (McQueen's given first name) was a public figure and a creative genius, who possessed a generous, loving, caring nature," his family said in a statement to the BBC. "Those who were privileged to have known Lee will cherish their memories of him for all their lives. Lee was also a much-loved brother and son and we miss him terribly. We will continue to make every effort to keep his memory alive."
The 40-year-old McQueen's body was discovered in an armoire on Feb. 11, the day before his mother's funeral. Prior to his death, McQueen had posted several messages on Twitter in which he expressed the pain over his mother's death. In one message written days before he died, he said it had been an "awful week."
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