MF DOOM inquest hears of concerns surrounding treatment at Leeds hospital before his death
The late rapper died in St. James' University Hospital in Leeds in October 2020 after having a rare adverse reaction to blood pressure medication
An inquest into the death of MF DOOM has heard of concerns about the way the rapper was treated before his death in 2020.
DOOM – real name Dumile Daniel Thompson – died aged 49 on 31st October, 2020 at St. James' University Hospital in Leeds after developing angiodema (a sudden swelling of the body) and later suffered a respiratory attack. He'd been admitted to hospital earlier that month after having a rare, adverse reaction to his new blood pressure medication.
Leeds Live reports that the inquest this week heard claims from representatives for DOOM's family expressing a “number of concerns” about the care he received while in hospital. Among the claims was a two-hour delay in administering medication for Dumile's swollen throat.
The late rapper's wife Jasmin Thompson also claimed that he called her on 21st October “in distress” that his symptoms were getting worse and that he was unable to reach a buzzer by his bedside to alert medical staff.
Thompson added that she used a second phone to contact ward staff to notify them about her husband's worsening condition. She claims that she was told that she wouldn't be able to visit him due to COVID restrictions in place at the time.
Wakefield Coroner's Court was told that DOOM had tried to get off of his hospital trolley, complaining that he “couldn't breathe”, before collapsing and going into respiratory arrest.
“I was not able to see him until the 31st,” Thompson said of her late husband. “That's when the respirator was turned off that was helping him breathe.”
The British-American rapper, who had been living in the UK with his wife and five children since 2010, is said to have taken “two doses” of the new medication at home before he began to have breathing difficulties and his “tongue and throat had started to swell”.
A rare side effect to the medication in question, Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, caused him to develop angiodema.
In response to the claims, doctors at the hospital have alleged that DOOM was under close monitoring and had shown improvement in his health, including good oxygen levels before he collapsed. They said that the rapper had also been conversing with doctors.
The inquest additionally heard that DOOM's medical records could not be accessed in Leeds because they were held in London where he formerly resided.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust launched a “serious incident investigation” following MF DOOM's death. It reported that recommendations were made about how to treat patients suffering with angiodema.
The inquest is ongoing.
It was revealed shortly after DOOM died that the anticipated sequel to his and Madlib's 2004 album 'Madvillainy' was "85% done" at the time of the artist's death.
