Some of the circumstances behind the recent death of local singer-songwriter Andrew Duncan Brown were revealed to Up on the Sun within the last hour via his label Smoking Pirate Records.
According to an e-mail from the Mesa-based label, the 27-year-old musician was found dead on Sunday floating in the swimming pool of a house in Roujan, France, where he was staying. Brown was reportedly in the midst of performing in Europe at the time of his death.
The e-mail from Smoking Pirate Records also says the singer-songwriter's death has been ruled an "accidental drowning" by French authorities.
"There was no witness to the incident, therefore the final conclusions are based on the investigative work of the local authorities and the Medical Examiner's office," the e-mail states.
Brown wasn't under the influence of any substances at the time of his death, according to the e-mail:
As for 'how exactly it happened?' This is still being investigated but it is possible that we might never know exactly what happened. We feel that it is important to mentioned that the official results states that Andrew tested negative to drugs and negative to alcohol.
Brown's body will reportedly be cremated in France and his ashes will be returned to the United States.
Meanwhile, the organizers of this weekend's Apache Lake Music Festival, which Brown was scheduled to perform at before his death, have announced on Facebook that the two-day event will honor the musician's life and career.
A recent message on ALMF's Facebook says that a live audio recording of Brown's set with his band The Dirty Rascals from ALMF in 2010 will be played at noon on Friday to start the festival and will serve as a memorial and tribute to the guitarist.
"This year's festival has taken on a new meaning and we know that Andrew's spirit will be present and felt throughout the weekend," the Facebook post stated.
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