Nick Cave’s son Arthur took LSD before plunging from cliff, inquest hears
NICK CAVE’S teenage son fell to his death after taking the hallucinogenic drug LSD, an inquest has heard.
Arthur, 15, was found with life-threatening injuries on the underpass of Ovingdean Gap
Arthur Cave, 15, suffered a fatal brain injury after plunging from a cliff near Brighton, East Sussex, on July 14.
The youngster was rushed to the Royal Sussex County Hospital but died that evening.
An inquest at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton heard how Arthur was seen "staggering" and "zig zagging" on his own moments before he fell off the cliff.
He was found lying on the ground without any shoes or socks on and members of the public tried to resuscitate him.
As graphic details of his injuries were read from a post-mortem examination report, musician Mr Cave and his wife Susie briefly walked out of the courtroom.
The inquest heard the cause of death was from "multiple traumatic injuries due to a fall from a height".
Musician Nick Cave and his wife Susie Bick leave Brighton Coroners Court
The youngster was rushed to the Royal Sussex County Hospital but died that evening
During the evidence of pathologist Dr Simi George, Brighton's senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley asked: "The history you had was that LSD was used?"
Dr George replied: "Yes."
Several witnesses described seeing the schoolboy before his death.
Mr Cave, 58, in a joint statement with his wife described Arthur as a "bright, shiny, sunny, funny and complex boy".
The Australian musician and songwriter is best known as lead singer of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne in 1983.
Following Arthur's death, Mr Cave and his wife released a short statement through Sussex Police saying: "He was our beautiful, happy, loving boy."
Arthur suffered a fatal brain injury