HIDDEN HILLS : Drummer’s Death Related to Drug Use

Jeff Porcaro, drummer for the rock band Toto, died of hardening of the arteries caused by cocaine use, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Thursday, not from an allergic reaction to a pesticide as originally reported.

The 38-year-old rock star fell ill after spraying insecticide in the yard of his Hidden Hills home on Aug. 5, and died that evening at Humana Hospital-West Hills.

The band’s co-manager, Larry Fitzgerald, said at the time that doctors told him the cause of death may have been a reaction to inhaling the insecticide.

However, an autopsy released Thursday determined that Porcaro died of occlusive coronary artery disease caused by hardening of the arteries due to cocaine use, coroner’s spokesman Bob Dambacher said. A toxicology report discovered cocaine and a byproduct of the drug in Porcaro’s blood, he said.

Tests performed to detect the presence of the insecticide came up negative, but there were 0.21 micrograms per milliliter of cocaine in the musician’s blood, Dambacher said.

Porcaro helped found Toto, a group that sold millions of records during the 1970s and 1980s. He was also a highly respected session drummer who played for musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Paul McCartney.

Porcaro’s 20-year music career began as a student at Grant High School in Van Nuys, playing in bands with friends who later earned reputations as top sessions players and eventually formed the basis for Toto.

Porcaro’s two brothers, Mike and Steve, were also Toto members.

More than 1,200 mourners attended Porcaro’s funeral last month, including rock stars Eddie Van Halen, Jackson Browne and Don Henley.

Porcaro is survived by his wife, Susan--mayor pro tem of Hidden Hills--and three children.