The cause of Nick Gordon’s death earlier this year has been determined by his autopsy and toxicology report, and it appears he suffered a fatal heroin overdose. According to the reports, Gordon was hospitalized on New Year’s Day this year after he was found unresponsive and in cardiac arrest. He remained in the hospital for 7 hours before he died. Traces of Narcan, which is used to counteract of effects of an overdose, were found in his system.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

It was suspected already that Nick died of some kind of drug overdose. A man claiming to be Nick’s brother alleged that Nick had died from an overdose, and an audio clip from the 911 dispatch call reveals that Nick was not breathing and that he had “black stuff” coming out of his mouth when the police were called. It is common for black discharge to foam out of the mouth and nostrils after an opioid overdose.

Nick’s brother, Jack Walker Jr., broke the news of his death by writing, “GOD WHY I DID I HAVE TO LOSE MY BROTHER ON NEW YEARS… All I can do is cry.” Jack later blasted the media for creating a negative perception of Nick when his girlfriend and daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, Bobbi Kristina Brown, died. “Everything that the media’s been throwing at him, everything that life’s been throwing at him, yeah, it took a toll on him,” Jack revealed. “He lost somebody he really loved.” Nick was found civilly responsible for Bobbi’s death in 2015, after finding her face down in a bathtub. She died at 22 years old.

New Year’s Eve is celebrated worldwide by hundreds of millions of people with aspirations of shedding old habits and embracing the new year. No one wants to believe that they will be mourning the death of their loved ones less than 24 hours later, but Nick Gordon’s family had to face tragic news on January 1. The former fiancée of Bobbi Kristina Brown died from a suspected drug overdose, and after the news surfaced, less than favorable reports about him resurfaced.

Maury Phillips / Stringer / Getty Images

“That’s my older brother. When people see me, they see Nick,” Gordon’s brother Jack Walker Jr. told Entertainment Tonight. “Everything that he’s taught me, I’m going to live through. I’m going to make sure I take it and I use it. And I’m going to make sure everything that he wanted me to do, I’m going to do it.”

Although it’s suspected that Gordon’s cause of death was from a drug overdose, Jack insists that when he spoke to Gordon, he seemed just fine. “I spoke to him six hours before he passed,” he said. “He was in a normal state of mind. Nick was fine, he was cool like anybody else would be on New Year’s, honestly.” Jack added, “He called me on the phone and I was working. I was busy, so I told him I would call when I got off. It wasn’t really like he was messed up or anything like that. He was normal.”

When he heard that his brother was in the hospital, Jack rushed to his side. “I tried my hardest to wake my brother up. Me, my father and [Nick’s girlfriend] Laura [Leal] were there with him,” he said. “We were trying as hard as we possibly could to wake Nick up but, you know, it’s just how it is. God’s plan. Nick wasn’t speaking at all. He wasn’t speaking, but he could hear me.”

Whitney Houston unofficially adopted Gordon when he was 12-years-old and took him under her wing. Then, he began dating Whitney and Bobby Brown’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and reports ran rampant that the family was less than supportive of their union. Gordon stayed by Bobbi Kristina’s side following her mother’s death in 2012, and it was Gordon who reportedly found Bobbi Kristina face down in a bathtub in 2015. A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the 30-year-old after Bobbi Kristina passed away six months later, and he was found guilty. Gordon was ordered to pay $36 million.

“My brother loved her,” Jack said of Gordon’s affections for Bobbi Kristina. “Everything. All this. Everything that he’s been going through has taken a toll on my brother. Everything. Everything that the media’s been throwing at him, everything that life’s been throwing at him, yeah, it took a toll on him. He lost somebody he really loved. It’s hard to be the same person when you lose somebody.”

Jack insisted that his brother was in a good place and the media has been angling Gordon to be someone that he wasn’t. “Nick was a great person, and he was loved by many people,” Jack stated. “Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, but Nick was a great person. Nick loved everybody and people fail to realize that. All they do is read tabloids and make a judgment out of somebody off of that and that’s not the case of my brother. I’ve known the man for all of 27 years, so I think I have a better judgment on the type of person he is than the majority of the people who are writing and saying [negative] stuff about him.”

The ex-partner of Bobbi Kristina Brown, Nick Gordon, passed away after a suspected drug overdose on New Year’s Day. Several reports are noting that a man who claims to be Gordon’s brother has confirmed the suspicion, but we will need to wait until an official cause of death is determined to be sure that drugs ultimately led to Gordon’s demise. One thing that would support that claim though is the 911 dispatch audio that has just been released online, which uncovers a hint that may point to an opioid overdose.

Seminole County Sheriffs Office Getty Images

In new audio obtained by celebrity gossip outlet TMZ, the overdose theory is highly supported when the police dispatcher remarks that there was a particular substance oozing out of Nick Gordon’s mouth when he was found unconscious. The caller supposedly said that the man had “black stuff” coming out of his mouth and that he was not breathing. The source explains that black discharge is common in patients that have suffered an opioid OD, usually appearing out of the nostrils or mouth.

Gordon was found civilly responsible for the death of Bobbi Kristina Brown years ago. Although he has been followed closely by police for a while, he was never charged in relation to the death of Whitney Houston’s daughter. Rest in peace, Nick Gordon.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Next month with mark the eight-year anniversary since Whitney Houston’s shocking death. The acclaimed icon was found dead inside a Beverly Hills Hotel bathtub from an accidental drowning in connection with heavy drug use. Four years ago, Whitney and Bobby Brown’s only child, Bobbi Kristina Brown, was located by her ex-fiancé Nick Gordon face down in a bathtub at her home. An autopsy revealed there were a number of narcotics and other drugs in her system, causing the 22-year-old to pass out and nearly drown. Bobbi Kristina later fell into a coma and six-months later passed away.

On Wednesday, news surfaced that Gordon has become the third person in the tragic tale to die. The 30-year-old was “adopted” by Whitney when he was just 12-years-old and spent his life with the pop superstar. His relationship with Bobbi Kristina was a controversial one that made headlines, and following her death, many accused Gordon of being responsible. A lawsuit was issued and in 2016, he was ordered to pay $36 million in damages to Bobbi Kristina’s estate after he was found guilty of wrongful death.

Gordon has kept himself out of the headlines since that time, but on New Year’s Day it’s rumored that he may have fallen victim to addiction and overdosed on drugs. While we await the true cause of death from the coroner’s report, Gordon’s loved ones have issued statements regarding his death.

Jack Walker, Gordon’s brother, reportedly told ABC News: “We are devastated by the loss of my beautiful brother. He leaves a void in the hearts of my family and his friends, Nick’s battle in life was not an easy one. I will be forever grateful that my God afforded a small moment at the very end of Nick’s life and I was able to hold his hand as he journeyed on.”

Joe S. Habachy, one of Gordon’s attorneys, also shared a statement:

“My heart is heavy today after learning that my long time client Nick Gordon died at the young age of thirty. While I cannot speak to the specific circumstances of his death, I can say that it’s been truly heartbreaking to have witnessed first hand the total devastation that drug addiction has wreaked upon a group of young friends, all of whom were loved and had immense potential. Despite all of the incredible challenges Nick faced over the last few years I can honestly say that he worked hard to hold his head up and stay sober and that he genuinely wanted a happy healthy life with his family more than anything else. My heart goes out to the family and friends Nick leaves behind and to any other families dealing with the losses and heartache caused by drugs.”

The Daily Mail reported that Gordon suffered multiple heart attacks before he passed away. We’ll keep you updated as news arises.

After the death of former NBA commissioner David Stern and rapper Lexii Alijai, it appears the bad news on New Year’s Day keeps coming. According to TMZ, Nick Gordon, the boyfriend of Bobbi Kristina Brown who was found legally responsible for her death, has passed away. He was 30 years old. Nick’s brother, Jack Walker Jr., delivered the news, writing, “GOD WHY I DID I HAVE TO LOSE MY BROTHER ON NEW YEARS… All I can do is cry.” TMZ claims that Gordon was hospitalized before his death and his brother Walker stated that he was at his brother’s hospital bedside and spoke to him in his final moments. Reports say Gordon died of a suspected drug overdose.

Controversy arose when Gordon and a friend found Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s daughter Bobbi Kristina face down in a bathtub in January of 2015. She was placed in an induced coma, but suffered irreversible brain damage and never recovered. She passed away in hospice care on July 26, 2015. Bobbi Kristina’s family sued Gordon for wrongful death, and he was found responsible for her death. He was ordered to pay her estate $36 million. It is unfortunate that both Gordon and Bobbi Kristina’s lives were taken at such a young age.