RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - RIGHTEOUS BROTHER'S DEATH BLAMED ON COCAINE

The death of RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS star BOBBY HATFIELD in November (03) was down to a combination of "acute cocaine intoxication" and heart failure, according to an official coroner's report.

The YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING singer was found dead on 5 November, just hours before he was due to perform alongside bandmate BILL MEDLEY in Michigan, America.

Theories that Hatfield, 63, had died from a heart attack alone were corrected by DR RICHARD TOOKER, Kalamazoo County, Michigan's chief medical examiner today (06JAN04).

The news has come as a huge blow to Medley, who worked alongside Hatfield for most of their lives.

Medley says, "This is a shock to me. I never saw him use cocaine. I knew absolutely nothing about it. If I had known, I would have said something to him."

Tooker has ordered that Hatfield's medical certificate must be altered to cite cocaine intoxication as his true cause of death.