The Tragedy of Roy Halladay: What Happened To ‘Hall of Fame’ Pitcher?

Roy Halladay died on November 7, 2017, in a plane crash. Per the official reports provided by the National Transportation Safety Board, he had consumed dangerous quantity of amphetamine, morphine and other prescription drugs as found the autopsy reports.

At the time of crash, Halladay was doing acrobatics in his amphibious sport plane. It went down into the Gulf of Mexico off Clearwater, FLa, and killed him in the accident.

What Happened To Roy Halladay? Death Cause & Reason

A 13-page report was published stating that Roy had consumed 10 times the generally recommended level of amphetamine in his system. In his system, he had a mix of antidepressant, a muscle relaxant, a sleep and morphine and an opioid pain medication. Due to the overdose, Halladay lost control of his plane and crashed into the water.

At the time of death, Halladay was 40-years-old and had bought the plane just a month earlier. According to the report, he died o blunt force traua and drowning. The same report said that he had been an avid pilot who was known to enjoy stunt maneuvers in the airplane, an IconA5.

A few days before his death, Halladay had flown under the Skyway Bridge. It has a 180-foot vertical clearance over the water. He had tweeted that “flying the Icon A5 low over the water is like flying a fighter jet!”

A5 is a two-seater plane with foldable winds and a parachute. It is sold to people/pilots as it has been marketed emphasizing on weekend adventures and bringing the exhilaration of flight to life like never before.

As mentioned in the report, Roy enjoyed three low flying maneuvers, swooped over the water and then climbed at a high level of attack. Witnesses said they managed to see the plane flying as low as 5 feet over the water. Some others said that he made steep turns and high pitched climbs up to 500 feet approx. One person said that the plan flew really close to houses.

Just before crashing, Halladay had his final move. He steeply climbed his plane and then made it to descend nose-down and crashed into the water at an angle of 45 degrees. This time, the plane flew at about 85 miles per hour.

The final crash report was supposed to be released soon. The NTSB said that it will make a formal determination of the cause and a more detailed analysis.

An 8-time All-Star, Roy Halladay had played for the Toronoto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. He had won two Cy Young awards, and got retired in 2013. In 2010 he pitched a perfect game, the 20th in major league history.

After his death, Halladay was elected to the Hall of fame. It’s an honor that was last given to Roberto Clemente in 1972. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder was awarded posthumously who also died in a plane crash when he 38. But, he was not envying in the plane instead he was on a humanitarian mission. He was delivering relief supplies from Puerto Rico to earthquake ravaged Nicaragua.

The drug addiction of Halladay was already public. In 2019, a Sports Illustrated report mentioned the pitcher’s struggle with depression and addiction to painkillers. It was reported in cooperation with his father and sister.

In NTSB report, it was mentioned about the medical records of Halladay. It clearly mentioned his history of substance use for which he was treated twice between 2013 and 2015. Doctors had diagnosied him of chronic back pain, insomnia and depression. He was treated for all these issues with various prescription medications.

Brandy Halladay’s widow, in 2019, said that her husband would have the first to acknowledge human frailty. She made that speech at the time when he was honored at the Baseball of Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Roy Halladay Net Worth

At the time of his death in 2017, Roy Halladay’s net worth was $70 million.

Roy Halladay Wiki/Biography