Tom Petty: It was an "accidental" OD

I'm same age as you dad .Your post is very wise .
As you age out often the greatest gift you can give your loved ones is allowing yourself to be a "burden " on your way out .

Indeed. Thanks for posting this thought. 

@bdp24 

The reason they label the Manner of death as "accidental " because it could be a Homicide or Suicide , which would change the "Manner of Death".
Was it self induced? Did the Party intentional know they were over medicating?  
Did someone assist the Party or administer the drugs with intensions of overdosing the Party
So the manner of Death could reasonably change from "accidental ", to Suicide or/and Homicide

“ Speedball rang the night clerk”.....
give that another spin for deeper meaning...
wow do I miss him
RIP Tom
i have a quarter million dollar foot and have had a few rounds of surgery needing some pain meds - I still have 3 left, long expired but there so I understand the desire to get off them ASAP..... but

"It’s tough to beat opioids for severe pain." ......stated in a prior post.
Actually, opioids alone are frequently only mediocre in treating many types of pain and in fact, in larger dosages, can make the pain actually worse. Using non-opioid medications ( acetaminophen, NSAIDS, Gabapentin like agents) and physical therapy when appropriate, along with some opioids, is currently the best method to achieve reasonable, safe pain relief.