Tiger King zookeeper Erik Cowie’s cause of death confirmed after star found dead in apartment aged 52

Erik Cowie was found dead last month (Picture: Backgrid)

Tiger King’s Erik Cowie died from acute and chronic alcohol abuse, according to the New York Medical Examiner.

The zookeeper, who featured in Netflix’s hit documentary, died September 3 aged 52 and TMZ reports his death is being treated as natural.

Cowie was found dead in a bedroom inside a Brooklyn apartment building. He was said to have been visiting a friend in New York at the time.

The warden was made famous for his appearances in the Netflix documentary Tiger King, which followed the trials and tribulations of Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, and the mayhem of big cat parks in the United States.

He cared for the animals housed at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma and continued working there after Exotic was arrested for animal abuse and the murder-for-hire plot to kill his nemesis, Carole Baskin.

Exotic was convicted of 17 charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire for the plot to kill his rival, Carole Baskin.

He worked at Joe Exotic’s zoo (Picture: Netflix)

Cowie testified against him at his trial, alleging he’d seen Exotic shoot and kill some of the animals at the zoo.

Following the main series, Cowie spoke to Joel McHale for The Tiger King and I, a reunion episode that saw the stars of the series looking back on it.

Asked if Exotic should be released from prison, he said at the time: ‘No. Not no, but f*ck no.

’22 years doing federal time – that guy’s gonna die in there. Good riddance.’

Tiger King co-star Jeff Lowe and his partner Lauren paid tribute to Cowie in a series of posts shared on social media.

‘He sincerely and truly loved all the animals, especially the big cats,’ they penned. ‘He cared for each and every one and they all loved and trusted him. He will be incredibly missed.’

In another post, they wrote: ‘It comes with great sadness to say that a dear friend and hardworking employee has passed away. Erik Cowie dedicated every waking moment caring for the animals at GWEAP & Tiger King Park.

‘After the animals were ripped away by the Department of Justice, he sadly couldn’t take it anymore. He absolutely loved all the animals and would show up early to check on each and every one.

More: Tiger King

‘He had his demons, but the animals helped bring joy and happiness in his life.’

Tiger King is available to stream on Netflix.

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