Artist Horsley died of overdose

The artist and writer Sebastian Horsley died of a massive heroin and cocaine overdose, an inquest heard yesterday.

Horsley, 47, was discovered by his girlfriend curled up on the floor of his flat in Soho, on 17 June. His death came only days after a play, Dandy In The Underworld, which was based on his memoirs, opened at the Soho Theatre.

Westminster coroner Paul Knapman ruled that he died of "non-dependent abuse of drugs". A pathologist gave the cause of death as multiple drug ingestion, with blood analysis showing high levels of cocaine, morphine and dihydrocodeine.

The artist was best known for being "crucified" in the Philippines while being filmed. He also wrote extensively about his dysfunctional family, addiction to heroin and crack cocaine, sex, and use of prostitutes. Horsley, who was deported from the US on the grounds of "moral turpitude", once described himself as "half-Byronic, half-moronic; part-shaman, part-showman; half-Nazi, half-Liberace."