Dane Brown, who survived a 2019 drug overdose and prompted an investigation against Democratic donor and activist Ed Buck, was found dead on a South Los Angeles sidewalk last week.
Brown’s call to police and his testimony helped lead a jury to convict Buck of luring young, Black men into his West Hollywood apartment for nearly a decade for “party and play” sessions that involved sex and heavy drug use. Two men died in Buck’s apartment in 2017 and 2019 from drug overdoses.
“I don’t think [Brown] really knew the impact that he had,” said Jasmyne Cannick, a political consultant, writer and friend of Brown’s.
Brown was found dead on a sidewalk in South Los Angeles on Nov. 6, according to the L.A. County medical examiner’s office. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
The men lured to Buck’s apartment, who were often homeless and addicted, were plied with drugs during the encounters and were often offered extra money if they allowed Buck to inject them with drugs. If they refused, Buck would sometimes refuse to pay them.