Cocaine Aggravating High Blood Pressure Behind Precious Harris' Death

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

UPDATE: T.I. has since responded to the medical examiner’s report being made public:

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When rapper T.I.’s sister Precious Harris passed away unexpectedly in February after being in a car accident, police reports released believed her death was caused by an asthma attack that made her lose control of her vehicle.

However, months later, a medical examiner has released the official cause of death, and according to TMZ, it’s due to something completely different than anyone likely believed.

Per the Fulton County Medical Examiner, she died due to “cocaine toxicity which aggravated hypertensive cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure).” TMZ said her high blood pressure led to an abnormal heart rhythm that then caused a disrupted blood flow to her organs, including her brain. The examiner found that she also had diabetes, chronic lung disease and kidney disease.

As previously reported, she was placed on life support after crashing T.I.’s car into a telephone pole with her granddaughter in the passenger seat on February 13. At the scene of the crash, she was breathing, but foaming at the mouth. Precious died a week later when the family removed her from life support after she was no longer responsive. She was 66.

When the news broke of her accident and subsequent passing, T.I. and wife Tameka “Tiny” Cottle put production of their VH1 hit, T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle, on hold.

T.I. mourned his sister’s death on social media soon after her passing, saying, “We love you dearly baby girl.”

The family, which is a very close one, also paid tribute to her on a special episode of the reality show. Precious appeared on the series from the beginning.

“It doesn’t matter how good of a place you may have been in before, nothing in this world can prepare you for that,” he said.

“Precious and I, we always joked with each other. We laughed a lot,” he added. “She was my sister.”