‘I thought he was asleep… he still had a guitar in his hands’: Comedian Kate Quigley recalls ‘horrific’ moment she woke up from 17-HOUR blackout to find her friends dead after ‘fentanyl-laced cocaine’ overdose which killed three and left her hospitalized
- The 40-year-old opened up about the September 2021 incident in a new episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook show Red Table Talk
- Quigley was left in critical condition after taking what is reported to have been fentanyl-laced cocaine during a house party on September 4
- The drugs killed three others: comics Fuquan Johnson, 42, and Enrico ‘Rico’ Colangeli, 48, and her friend Natalie Williamson, 32
- In a preview clip for Red Table Talk, Quigley recounts passing out in her home in Los Angeles at 6AM, revealing she was unconscious for around 17 hours in total
- When she woke up, she said she couldn’t move her legs; the only person she could see was Rico, who she thought he was asleep, noting he ‘didn’t look dead’
- She explained that she only realized something was seriously wrong when she ‘threw a shoe at a door next to him and he didn’t wake up’
- A ‘panicked’ Quigley then called her uncle, who phoned 911 after he touched Rico and noted that he was ‘cold’ and unresponsive
- Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid similar to morphine but is 50 times more potent than heroin, is thought to be driving most overdose deaths in the United States
Comedian Kate Quigley has opened up about the ‘horrific’ moment she woke up from a 17-hour blackout and realized one of her friends was dead from a fentanyl overdose, which killed three people in total and left her hospitalized.
Quigley, 40, was found by first responders in critical condition at her $1.8 million rental home in Venice, California, on September 4 after allegedly ingesting cocaine that was laced with fentanyl.
Her fellow comics Enrico ‘Rico’ Colangeli, 48, and Fuquan Johnson, 42, died alongside their friend Natalie Williamson, 33, at the home after the group all reportedly snorted the lethal drugs together.
She has now spoken out about the incident in an upcoming episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook show Red Table Talk, recalling the moment that she first realized ‘something was not right,’ and revealing that she lost consciousness for around 17 hours, before waking up to discover that at least one of her friends had died.
Comedian Kate Quigley has opened up about the ‘horrific’ moment she woke up from a 17-hour blackout and realized one of her friends was dead from a fentanyl overdose
Quigley, 40, was found in critical condition at her $1.8 million rental home in Venice, California (pictured), on September 4 after allegedly ingesting cocaine that was laced with fentanyl
Her fellow comics Enrico ‘Rico’ Colangeli (pictured), 48, and Fuquan Johnson, 42, died alongside friend Natalie Williamson, 33, after the group all reportedly snorted the lethal drugs
She has now spoken out about the incident in an episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook show Red Table Talk, recalling the moment that she first realized ‘something was not right’
‘I went to the bathroom and… on the way out of the bathroom, I couldn’t even button my pants, I was already that disoriented,’ she explained in a preview clip shared by People.
What is fentanyl?
- Jeremy overdosed on heroine that was unknowingly laced with fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroine
- It is often added to drugs like cocaine or heroin to increase their potency or make them more profitable
- According to DrugAbuseStatstics.org, less than 0.07 ounces of fentanyl causes certain death, and the drug is a factor in 53 per cent of drug overdoses
- Last year, drug overdose deaths went up by 28.5 per cent. The CDC reported that more than 100,000 people lost their lives to drug-related overdoses in the 12-month period ending in April 2021 – a significant increase from 2020, when more than 78,000 people died of overdoses
‘And I said, “Something’s not right about this, I don’t feel well.” [I knew something was wrong] right away. I felt nauseous. I sat down and that’s the last thing I remember.’
Tearing up, an emotional Quigley said she then ‘passed out in a chair’ at around 6AM – waking up nearly 17 hours later completely disoriented and ‘confused.’
‘I passed out on the chair like sideways and when I passed out my legs stayed in this chair, my head hit the floor,’ she revealed.
‘That was like 6AM, it was like the morning. And when I woke up and it was dark and it was like 11 at night or something.
‘First thing I thought, I swear to god, was: “Oh my god, why is it dark? My doors are open.”
‘I was confused. I’m not a big drinker and I’ve never blacked out. I was just so confused.
‘I couldn’t feel my legs but I thought they were asleep. I went to stand and that’s when I really realized.’
As the former Playboy TV’s Undercover host began to realize what had happened, she tried to wake her friend Rico – who was across from her.
She said ‘it never crossed her mind that he was dead’ because it looked like he was sleeping. And it wasn’t until she threw a shoe at him and he didn’t wake up that she started to think something was seriously wrong.
She recalled: ‘I started to get scared, and I started to say, “Hey Rico, Rico.” I just thought he fell asleep, he even still had the guitar — he was holding a guitar in his hands.
‘It never crossed my mind he was dead because he didn’t look dead. I called my uncle, I still thought Rico was OK until I threw a shoe at the door next to him and he didn’t wake up.
‘I started to panic and two minutes later my uncle walked in and immediately he walked over touched him and he was cold and called 911.
‘The rest was, I mean, see this is the part that’s hard to talk about for me. It was horrific.’
The model told Pinkett (pictured) that ‘it never crossed her mind that [Colangeli] was dead’ because it looked like he was sleeping – but when she threw a shoe and he didn’t wake up she realized something was wrong
The incident came amid a nationwide crisis over fentanyl – a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroine.
It is often added to drugs like cocaine or heroin to increase their potency or make them more profitable – which can lead to overdose, especially if the buyer doesn’t know that their drug has been laced.
According to DrugAbuseStatstics.org, less than 0.07 ounces of fentanyl causes certain death, and the drug is a factor in 53 per cent of drug overdoses.
Last year, drug overdose deaths went up by 28.5 per cent. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 100,000 people lost their lives to drug-related overdoses in the 12-month period ending in April 2021 – a significant increase from 2020, when more than 78,000 people died of overdoses.
The rising death toll reflects the increasingly common – and deadly – cocktail of heroine and fentanyl.
The day after the incident, Quigley’s mother Fran Wyles wrote on Facebook that her daughter was recovering slowly, but wasn’t ‘lucid for more than a moment at a time.’
Johnson (pictured days before his death during an appearance at the Laugh Factory in LA) worked alongside Colangeli at HaHa Comedy Club. Both were longtime friends of Quigley’s
Quigley, who once dated Hootie & The Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker (pictured together), is most known for appearing in several television shows including The Office and Star Trek
She spent a week in the hospital and has since fully recovered.
Days later, she posted a message to her Instagram saying she was ‘shocked and devastated’ by the loss of her three friends.
‘I feel overwhelmed by the outpouring of kind messages and am incredibly grateful to be surrounded by a strong community of friends, family, colleagues, and fans who have offered their support during this time,’ she wrote.
‘And to the team of paramedics, nurses, and doctors who saved my life… Words cannot describe the pain I am feeling.
‘[Johnson] was a generous, loving soul. He was hilarious, supportive, and incredibly authentic with the most infectious spirit.
‘Rico was always filled with enthusiasm,’ she said, adding that her friend Williamson ‘was so kind and endearing.’
‘They each made an indelible mark on my life and the lives of their loved ones. I will miss them.’
At the time, Colangeli’s cousin, Maria Spencer, spoke with The Sun about the family’s ‘heartbreak’ over his death.
‘[Rico] was incredibly loved by his entire family, and we’ll miss him more than words can describe,’ she said.
She remembered her cousin as ‘not only a smart, talented comedian’ but ‘a highly skilled carpenter who worked for his family’s construction company.’
‘Losing Ricky is a true heartbreak and is a devastating loss for his siblings, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins who have many fond memories of family Sunday dinners, amazing Christmas Eve meals, and other family celebrations that can only be remembered as epic,’ she added, speaking on behalf of Colangeli’s family.
‘We loved Ricky dearly and his death is leaving a hole in our hearts that is somewhat comforted by knowing he is now at peace in the arms of his loving parents, Lynda and Rico, who we lost in 2019.’
Colangeli worked at HaHa Comedy Club alongside Johnson – who was a frequent performer on the Los Angeles comedy circuit, performing at various clubs around town for the last 10 years.
Quigley, who once dated Hootie & The Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker, has also modeled and acted, and is most known for appearing in several television shows including The Office, Star Trek: Hidden Frontier, and Guber.
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