Key Takeaways

• Ice-T hosts A&E’s new documentary Fame and Fentanyl, examining how synthetic opioids are affecting the nation.
• Coroner reports confirmed Coolio and Michael K. Williams both died from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl.
• Ice-T uses the documentary to warn viewers about the dangers of today’s drug landscape and the risks of underestimating recreational drug use.

Ice-T and A&E are giving audiences a raw look at the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. on Monday (Aug. 25) with the two-hour documentary Fame and Fentanyl. The opioid epidemic is a personal matter for the entertainer, who has lost peers and friends to the controlled substance. The gangsta rap legend takes on hosting duties for the special, which will be available on demand, in the A&E app, and on aetv.com.

In a new interview for Entertainment Weekly published on Friday (Aug. 22), the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor shared that the deaths of Coolio and Michael K. Sterling in particular were wake-up calls of sorts, making the dangers of the synthetic drug that much more real. "When it hit Coolio and it hit Mike, that was the nail in the coffin. That's when you go, 'Yo, this s**t is real,’” he said.

The two deceased talents are spotlighted alongside Prince, “Euphoria” actor Angus Cloud, iconic rock star Tom Petty, and others. Interviews from loved ones, experts, and law enforcement will shed light on the lasting, harrowing grip that the drug has had on the nation.

A look back at Michael K. Sterling and Coolio’s deaths

“The Wire” star passed away at age 54 in September 2021 after being sold fentanyl-laced heroin. His autopsy report ruled his death an accidental overdose. Williams’ drug dealer was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2023. “We had never worked together, but we had planned to work together. I hoped to work with him. When people die of fentanyl, it's like they got hit by a car, like they got shot. This is a person who's healthy, and tomorrow they're outta there,” said Ice-T to the outlet.

The “Gangsta’s Paradise” artist’s death also came as a shock a year later, in September 2022. He was 59 years old at the time. The coroner’s report revealed the cause was an accidental result of the “effects of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.” According to Ice-T, “Coolio was healthy. I know he didn't want to die.” The “New Jack Hustler” noted, “He spoke freely about [his history of drug use], but that's the thing. If you're doing drugs recreationally, you're not trying to take your own life. Recreation is a game, but this is no longer a game.”

Moreover, the entertainer dispelled a misconception about drug-related deaths. He said, “People think you have to be a drug addict to OD, that you have to do a lot. No. With this, it's one time and boom, it's a wrap. So don't f**k with it. Don't play around anymore. There's something on the street that's poison… Hopefully this doc will really blast it out to more people to understand that this is not a game at all."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that synthetic opioids like fentanyl are to blame for nearly 70 percent of deaths caused by overdose.