Rapper Pimp C died of cough syrup overdose, coroner says

Rapper Pimp C, an influential hip-hop figure who once sung an ode to getting high from drinking cough medicine, died accidentally at an upscale Sunset Strip hotel because of an overdose of cough syrup and other factors, the Los Angeles County coroner said Monday.

The 33-year old Pimp C, whose real name was Chad Butler, was found lying on his bed at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood on Dec. 4. He had checked into the hotel on Nov. 28, according to hotel staffers, and was discovered dead after he failed to check out as expected.

The coroner’s report listed the condition of his body as “decomposed” and also noted the Port Arthur, Texas, native had a history of sleep apnea. Initially, coroners’ officials said it appeared Butler had died naturally, noting there was no indication of trauma or drug paraphernalia. But an investigation determined the death to be “due to promethazine/codeine effects and other unestablished factors,” said Ed Winter, assistant chief of the coroner’s office.

“We found a large amount of prescription cough medicine in the bedroom,” Winter said.

Butler was a member of the Texas hip-hop duo UGK, which scored a No. 1 album last year with its seventh release, “Underground Kingz.”

Mainstream stardom, however, eluded Butler and his partner, Bun B, for most of the group’s 15-year career.

In the early 1990s, the two became known for their sharp, original rap style, ribald chronicles of “gangsta life” and stripped-down beats.

Although their collaborations with higher-profile artists, including Jay-Z (on the hit “Big Pimpin’ “) and the Oscar-winning rap group Three 6 Mafia (with which UGK recorded “Sippin on Sizzurp,” an ode to getting high from drinking cough medicine), are considered hip-hop classics, UGK’s more enduring claim to fame may be helping to establish Southern rap.

In 2002, Butler was sentenced to eight years in prison after falling behind on court-ordered community service.

That sentence had been imposed after the rapper-producer pleaded no contest to aggravated assault charges; he had brandished a gun during an argument with a woman at a shopping mall.

He served about half his sentence at Terrell Prison in Livingston, Texas, before being paroled in 2005.

Rap fans had made a cause celebre of Butler’s incarceration. “Free Pimp C” T-shirts and baseball caps became popular with UGK fans across the country, and a host of rap stars appeared in music videos and at concerts calling for his release.

At the time of his death, Butler’s manager, Rick Martin, released a statement extending condolences to Butler’s wife and children.

“Chad was finally seeing the results of the years of love and labor that he and Bun B have put in over the years, culminating in the tremendous success of their album, ‘Underground Kingz,’ ” Martin said.

“Chad was set to soar with not only a new solo deal on Jive Records, but a lucrative publishing deal, a new satellite radio show, several group projects and a national cologne endorsement.

“Chad had everything to live for,” Martin said.

richard.winton@latimes.com