Entertainment TV 'Bones' Actor Heath Freeman's Cause of Death Revealed 4 Months After His Sudden Passing at Age 41 Heath Freeman, who portrayed killer Howard Epps on Bones, died in November at age 41 By Joelle Goldstein Joelle Goldstein Twitter Joelle Goldstein is a TV Staff Editor for PEOPLE Digital. She has been with the brand for five years, beginning her time as a digital news writer, where she covered everything from entertainment news to crime stories and royal tours. Since then, she has worked as a writer-reporter on the Human Interest team and an associate editor on the TV team. In her current role, Joelle oversees all things TV and enjoys being able to say she has to watch The Kardashians, Dancing with the Stars and America's Got Talent for "work". Prior to joining PEOPLE, Joelle was employed at The Hollywood Reporter. She graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Television-Radio (and an appearance in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four!) People Editorial Guidelines Published on March 9, 2022 02:14 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Heath Freeman. Photo: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images Heath Freeman's cause of death has been revealed. The Bones actor, who died at age 41 in November, overdosed on multiple opioids and narcotics, according to a report from the Travis County Medical Examiner, which was obtained by TMZ, which reported that Heath had a deadly combination of booze and drugs in his system, including fentanyl, cocaine, hydrocodone, oxycodone and alprazolam. After being found unresponsive in bed at his Austin, Texas, home, Freeman was pronounced dead at the scene, per the report. It also stated that police later discovered pills of oxycodone and alprazolam, which is commonly known as Xanax, inside Freeman's home. The medical examiner has since ruled his death as an accident, according to the report. A spokesperson at the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Heath Freeman, Bones and NCIS Actor, Dead at 41 Heath Freeman. Jesse Knish/WireImage Freeman's death was confirmed to PEOPLE by his manager, Joe S. Montifiore, on Nov. 15, 2021. "We are truly devastated at the loss of our beloved Heath Freeman. A brilliant human being with an intense and soulful spirit, he leaves us with an indelible imprint in our hearts," Montifiore said in a statement at the time. "His life was filled with deep loyalty, affection, and generosity towards his family and friends, and an extraordinary zest for life." "He was extremely proud of his recent film work and was very excited for the next chapter of his career," the statement continued. "His remarkable legacy as a son, brother, uncle, friend, extraordinarily gifted actor and producer, consummate cook, and man with the most infectious and spectacular laugh, will live on forever. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him." Celebrities Who've Died in 2021 Freeman's first role was on the hit NBC series ER, in which he guest-starred as Kevin in a 2001 episode, according to his IMDb page. Other notable roles include Benjamin Frank in a 2003 episode of NCIS, and Gavin Dillon in Raising the Bar from 2007 to 2009. The actor was best known for portraying the role of killer Howard Epps on Fox's Bones from 2005 to 2009. Prior to his death, Freeman had been working on three upcoming films, Devil's Fruit, The Outlaw Johnny Black and Terror on the Prairie, all of which are currently in post-production.