New details have emerged in the shocking death of singer Timmy Matley…
36-year-old Matley was one of the original members of the Overtones, a popular doo-wop band from the U.K. He died back in April after suffering “multiple traumatic injuries” when he fell a balcony while under the influence of crystal meth, according to a newly released coroner’s report.
Matley, who was openly gay, was hanging out at his friend’s East London flat. After getting high on meth, he locked himself out on the 13th floor balcony. When he tried climbing down, he slipped.
This week, the Overtones posted a photo of themselves all together on Instagram, writing: “Timmy, our funny, talented, beautiful friend, bandmate and brother, was dearly loved and he is deeply missed.”
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The band got their big break in 2010, after they were discovered by a Warner Bros talent scout practicing on their lunch break from working as decorators.
In addition to Matley, the band consists of four other members–Mark Franks, Lachie Chapman, Mike Crawshaw, Darren Everest, and Matley. Both Franks and Chapman are openly gay.
The Overtones have released five albums, four of which have charted on the UK top 10. Their 2010 debut, “Good Ol’ Fashioned Love”, peaked at number four. They’re scheduled to release a new album later this month, which will include vocals from the late singer.
Chrisk
How the eff do you climb down 13 stories? He must have thought he was spider man.
Creamsicle
Meth. Not even once.
G-Man
I think they said he was high so he probably wasn’t thinking straight.
QueerTruth
Perhaps less sarcasm for the friends and family of this man who just died.
cb225
Tragic and so sad I’ve seen meth destroy many people’s lives including friends and love ones. This drug is unfortunately ravaging the gay community.
MacAdvisor
He may not have been trying to climb down all 13 flights, but just to the one below where he hoped someone would let him in.
StraightnNarrow
Meth ravaging gay community? Only a very small number of hard core gay men with no sense of direction in their life would do such a nasty drug. If they can’t help themselves, maybe the society as a whole needs to put them in a facility where they can face their demons.
Sanjo
G-Man: I see what you did there! “He probably wasn’t thinking straight.”
Phoenix78
@Straightnnarrow. Have you done a statistical analysis to say it is a very small number? I think not. You are incorrect, it is a very large number of gay men in USA and very large number of straight people in Australia. Crystal meth is ravaging both communities and no they should not be locked up in a facility, like all people who need help with life issues, underneath drug/alcohol addiction lies alot of issues built yp in life, it does mean you need to be locked up in a facility, they just need help from their community in many different ways, a sympathetic ear by a friend is a good start.
Phoenix78
*it does NOT mean you need to be locked up in a facility.
Smith David
R.I.P
batesmotel
Meth is a terribly dangerous addictive drug. Makes you do crazy things that you wouldn’t normally do if you were thinking straight. This isn’t said in judgment as I had a small period there way back when, when I had tried Meth… more than once. Luckily, I managed to get off it rather quickly.
johnnymcmxxx
Ok. He died. It’s sad for his family but he began his suicide the day he started on meth. It was and is a very stupid decision and the word is out on the affects of meth. It’s not like he didn’t know what could happen. For him I feel pity for his self wasted life.
Lacuevaman
that sh*t will rot your teeth. oh yeah, it doesn’t help you fly either
Phoenix78
@johnnymcmxxx, stop being so ignorant, of course he did not know, sonetimes people need to face their darkness before seeing the light in their life. Some people spend their whole lives in perpetual darkness which may have nothing to do with drugs. Drugs is just a medication for the underlying issues. Please dont be so ignorant
StraightnNarrow
Phoenix, stop your shameful attempt to romanticize hard drug use. It all boils down to one thing: he chose to do drugs. Nobody forced him to. Many people in equally difficult situation choose not to. Not because they have not been tempted to escape but they choose not to do it. Why can’t people just learn to say no?
dwes09
@ the straight and narrow man:
One always wonders from your posts if it is naivety or intellectual dullness. Beginning to suspect it is both, with a little dose of contempt for gay men who differ even slightly from your dogma.
Andy
Regardless of how this talented singer died, its a tragedy and his friends and family are devastated by his loss and the world loses a great talent. Rest in Peace.
Phoenix78
StraightnNarrow, you have no idea. It’s called mental health, alcohol addiction has a far higher death rate as a means to escape. Do you say no to alcohol? People need help, not condemnation from their community. RIP Timmy
surreal33
As gay men we need more self-love and stop using substances to fill the void inside. The persistent level of self-destruction in the gay community should NOT be normal.
Mr_Heffel
Well it is when you promote PRIDE as a club or kink parade. Not for what it was actually meant for; it has lost its meaning with all the sex, drugs, alcohol and fetishes. Not to mention sex clubs and dating apps are a place for those actions to occur whenever they want.
It’s self destructive and sad to watch.
People need a better outlet to be themselves and not have be all about the party/play lifestyle.
StraightnNarrow
Mr., you are too gentle to these indulgent and self-absorbed hard partiers. They believe they are invincible and they abuse their sexuality until something bad happens to them. Most of them never repent and go right back to their old way until some worse happens and the cycle begins again.
dwes09
@ hetero and narrow:
“Repent”!? Are you yet another evangelical idiot here thinking you can convince people you are gay?
Are you so deluded by the alt-right & libertarian myths that you think “Just Say No” is a valid strategy, despite all the reality-based evidence to the contrary?
Drug abuse, as most dysfunction, is a complex issue and your simple minded approach helps no one: not even yourself.
Mr_Heffel
RIP.
We need more education on drugs with all age gaps. Everyone is prone to this if brought up or put in the right environment/circumstances; the hard part is getting away from it because it’s so addicting. They need help with transiting away from that lifestyle.
My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Now he is free from the pain.
KevInSD
Hedonism is not liberation.
dwes09
And where exactly do you see anybody claiming that it is?
However, hedonism is a valid philosophical approach to life as long as one carefully considers the choices available.
It is, in fact, a more valid philosophical approach to life than the paradigms of Christianity, which value the avoidance of physical pleasure out of fear for a mythic punishment after death.
Drug abuse and poor choices regarding health and welfare are not intrinsic to hedonism.
Learn to think!
McJuvenal
oh lord of universe, why all of our famous leading way guys die such tragic deaths????
Birdbrain1963
Meth is the problem. The federal government wants to fix the drug problem and yet many more will die before they address the problem drug!…….