Heartbreaking Loss: Comedian Dana Carvey’s Son Dex’s Cause of Death Confirmed after 2 Months

U.S. comedian Dana Carvey arrives for the 24th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on March 19, 2023. Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images

More than two months after he passed away, comedian Dana Carvey’s son Dex’s official cause of death has been confirmed as an accidental overdose.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Carvey’s eldest son died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, ketamine, and cocaine.

It was on Nov. 15 that the aspiring comedian died suddenly at the age of 32, as reported by TMZ. That’s when emergency services arrived to find Dex Carvey unresponsive inside a locked bathroom after his girlfriend Kaylee sought help, as reported by the New York Post.

Sources said paramedics arrived around 10 p.m. and attempted to revive him before he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Soon after, Mr. Carvey and his wife Paula Zwagerman shared news of Dex’s passing on Instagram.

“Last night we suffered a terrible tragedy,” the couple’s post began. “Our beloved son, Dex, died of an accidental overdose. He was 32 years old.”

“Dex packed a lot into those 32 years,” their statement continued. “He was extremely talented at so many things — music, art, film making, comedy — and pursued all of them passionately. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life.

“And when you were with him, you loved life too,“ it went on. ”He made everything fun. But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee. Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever.”

The couple’s statement concluded with a somber message and pledge of solidarity with anyone battling addiction or who loves someone struggling with it.

“You are in our hearts and prayers,” they said.

Then, a few days after his son’s death, Mr. Carvey, 68, thanked fans on social media for their support during the difficult time.

“This is just to say thank you,” the comedian wrote in an Instagram post on Nov. 18. “My wife and I have been overwhelmed by your love, your personal stories, your compassion.

“I will be taking a break from work and social media — trying to figure out what life looks like now that we are a family of three,” he continued. “We will heal the best way we can and carry on. Our darling Dex would have wanted it that way.”

Close with Son

The former “Saturday Night Live” comedian and “Wayne’s World” star was known to be very close to his son.

An aspiring comedian following in his father’s footsteps, Dex had been pursuing stand-up comedy over the past few years.

With a six-minute set that received a good response, he served as the opening act for his father’s 2016 Netflix special “Straight White Male.” During his performance, Dex touched on topics including his famous dad, cult-related tales, and the preponderance of pride parades.

In that same year, Dex appeared opposite his famous father in the short film “Carpool Pandering,” directed by F. Clint DeNisco.

Podcast Return ‘Healing’

Later, Mr. Carvey would open up more about his son to long-time friend and fellow comedian David Spade on their podcast “Fly on the Wall.”

Mr. Carvey noted publicly how appreciative he was of all the support he had received from those trying to get in touch with him but explained to Mr. Spade and listeners the reality was that there was really nothing anyone could do for him and his family.

“It’s me and my wife and our son’s private journey,” he said. ‘We’re all together... and we do a lot of fun things. We hike, we go to church. You just want to make sure you keep moving.”

Dana Carvey and David Spade at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 2023. Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix

He also noted how therapeutic it would be to once again join his good friend Mr. Spade on the podcast by saying it “is going to be very healthy for me as I recover.”

“‘Cause I’m kind of on the pain train with about millions of other people on this planet. And you don’t know how long you’re going to be on it or when it will stop or when it will get better,” Mr. Carvey told Mr. Spade. “But in the meantime, all of this kind of stuff is very healthy.”

Pain Shared by Millions

Earlier this month, Mr. Carvey reiterated that his pain is shared by “millions” of others in this country who’ve lost someone to fentanyl. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 75 percent of the 107,000 overdose deaths in the United States in 2021 involved an opioid.

Mr. Carvey’s son’s death happened just months after “Euphoria” star Angus Cloud died of an apparent accidental overdose at just 25 years old. “Friends” star Matthew Perry died from “acute effects of ketamine.”

Dex’s death occurred just weeks before popular country singer Jelly Roll testified on Capitol Hill regarding the nation’s deadly fentanyl crisis that he said is “crippling our nation.”

Besides his parents, Dex is survived by his younger brother, Thomas.