CORINNE BAILEY RAE - CORINNE BAILEY RAE'S HUSBAND DIED OF ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE

CORINNE BAILEY RAE'S HUSBAND DIED OF ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE

A coroner has ruled the husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae died after an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol.

The body of Jason Rae, 31, was discovered in a flat in Leeds on March 22nd.

Aberdeen-born Jason Rae was a member of the eight-piece Haggis Horns funk band and had played saxophone for the likes of Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson.

Presiding at Leeds coroner's court, David Hinchliff said alcohol and the heroin substitute methadone had been found in the late musician's blood.

Traces of cocaine and ecstasy were also discovered, though these would not have led to Rae's death, Mr Hinchliff explained, ruling the cause of death as misadventure.

"Methadone is a dangerous substance in its own right," he was quoted by the Press Association as saying.

"It is what's called a central nervous system depressive, which, if taken in quantity, can affect the part of the brain that controls breathing.

"This, coupled with alcohol, can be devastating."

Mr Hinchliff also read aloud a statement from Corinne Bailey Rae in court, which said: "My husband is my first and only true love. He is the most beautiful and complex person I have ever known. He is utterly irreplaceable."

Corinne and Jason Bailey Rae married in 2001 after meeting while working at a jazz club in Leeds.