Cause Of Death Revealed For Comedian Dana Carvey’s Son: ‘Terrible Tragedy’

Two months after the death of his son Dex, comedian Dana Carvey has revealed the cause.

Carvey, an Emmy-winning actor and former Saturday Night Live cast member, previously wrote on Instagram that he and his wife Paula Zwagerman were devastated to learn that the 32-year-old died from a drug overdose. Now, a comprehensive report by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner obtained by PEOPLE Magazine shows Dex Carvey had a toxic mix of fentanyl, ketamine, and cocaine found in his system when he died this past November.

“Dex packed a lot into those 32 years. He was extremely talented at so many things–music, art, film making, comedy–and pursued all of them passionately,” the couple said of their son. “It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life.”

“And when you were with him, you loved life too,” their statement continued. “He made everything fun. But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee. Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever.”

The couple added that those “struggling with addiction or who loves someone struggling with addiction… are in our hearts and prayers.”

Dana Carvey’s son Dex’s cause of death at 32 revealed https://t.co/7qF7bjntuV pic.twitter.com/IW5vpda1wx

— New York Post (@nypost) January 24, 2024

After following his father into comedy, Dex Carvey took respectable roles on a number of projects including “Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser” and the Netflix series “The Funster.” He opened for his father’s 2016 stand-up special “Straight White Male.”

Carvey, 68, has offered a limited window into how his family is coping with Dex’s death over the past several months.

“It’s me and my wife and our son’s private journey,” he told a recent podcast host, referring to his younger son Thomas, 31.

“We’re all together,” he continued of the family. “And we do a lot of fun things. We hike, we go to church. You just want to make sure you keep moving.”

The SNL alum added that “riffing” with a close friend is what keeps him going.

“‘Cause I’m kind of on the pain train with about millions of other people on this planet. And you don’t know how long you’re going to be on it or when it will stop or when it will get better,” Carvey admitted. “But in the meantime, all of this kind of stuff is very healthy.”