Rodney King , the motorist who was videotaped two decades ago by a bystander as Los Angeles police officers severely beat him during an arrest, is dead.
He was found by his fiancee, Cynthia Kelly, at the bottom of a pool in Rialto, California, at about 5:25 a.m. PST, said Capt. Randy DeAnda.
Police attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after 6 a.m. PST, added Capt. DeAnda.
There were no obvious signs of foul play. The police are conducting a drowning investigation.
Kelly told friends that in the hours leading up to her fiancee’s drowning, King had been drinking and smoking pot, says TMZ.
In March 1991, King was infamously kicked and hit 56 times with police batons and tasered. Footage of the beating (video below) and the later acquittal of the officers involved led to the Los Angeles riots.
King, who struggled with alcoholism, appeared in later years both on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “Sober House.”
King was 47.
