Coroner: Reality TV star from Delco had drugs in system at time of death

WEST CHESTER » Brian Lancaster, the former reality TV star frlom Haverford who died at the Phoenixville Hospital on March 29, had fentanyl, heroin and alcohol in his body at the time of his death, the Chester County coroner’s office said.

Dr. Christina VandePol, Chester County coroner, has ruled 43-year-old Lancaster’s death accidental.

“While some progress is being made in the battle against substance abuse, we continue to lose too many members of our community to this epidemic,” VandePol said. “Speaking with families like Mr. Lancaster’s, I hear so often about how difficult it is to fight addiction and how we are losing talented and loved people to this disease.”

At the time of his death, Lancaster’s family told news outlets that he had a history of arrhythmia, and they do not suspect drugs or alcohol played a part in his death.

Lancaster, a Haverford High School graduate, competed on MTV’s “Road Rules: Latin America” in 1999 at the age of 23. Lancaster competed on 13 different missions over the course of 15 episodes that were shot in Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States. He won a Volkswagen He did not win the jackpot $43,000 prize, but did win a Volkswagen Beetle.

In a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1999, Lancaster said he was discovered for the show by a producer while waiting tables at a restaurant when he was a student at the University of Colorado.

He said being selected for the show was “like winning the lottery.”

In his online obituary, Lancaster was praised as a “jack of many trades, including advertising account manager, telecommunications project manager, special education teacher, bartender, and reality TV star.”

Brian’s family described him as an outdoorsman and daredevil.

He graduated from University of Colorado Boulder with a B.A. in Journalism, Public Relations and Advertising and graduated from Eastern University with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education.

He is survived by his fiancee, Sarah, and his parents, Dennis and Carol Lancaster.

Fentanyl, heroin, and alcohol were found in Brian Lancaster’s body at the time of his death in Phoenixville Hospital, the Chester County coroner has ruled.