Corinne Bailey Rae’s “utterly irreplaceable” husband died of methadone poisoning

Corinne Bailey Rae’s husband died from a combination of alcohol and methadone poisoning, an inquest has found.

The body of Jason Rae, a saxophonist who had played backing for Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, was found in a flat in Leeds in March this year. He had spent the previous day with Corinne, doing housework and relaxing together, before heading out to a local pub with a friend.

Corinne, who was not present at the hearing, explained in a statement to the court that “it was not unusual for Jason to drink heavily and then under the influence of alcohol seek out drugs like cocaine and ecstasy and take it as part of a night out or to keep the night going.”

She explained that he had tried to give up alcohol at the start of the year but “he believed he could control his drinking. He did not believe that alcoholism was a disease over which you were powerless.”

The inquest heard how Jason had a few drinks in the pub with friend James Sheasby, a former heroin addict using prescribed methadone to wean himself off the drug, and retired to James’ flat afterwards. The men bought some wine from an off licence on their way home but police believe that later, Jason drunk some of Sheasby’s bottled methadone.

Coroner David Hinchcliff explained: “He would have gone into a deep sleep. It would have been like falling asleep but over time his breathing would have become more shallow and ultimately he died.”

Sheasby assumed Jason to simply be asleep and left him on the sofa while he went out to get a pizza and then when he went to bed. When he found he couldn’t revive Jason the next day, police and paramedics were called but Jason was pronounced dead at the scene.

In her statement, Corinne added: “He was a loyal and devoted friend. He was a faithful son and loving brother. He was very open and honest to a fault.

“He was not a hedonist. He was a deep thinker. My husband is my first and only true love. He was the most beautiful and complex person I have ever known [and] utterly irreplaceable.”

Leeds Coroner’s Court formally recorded the cause of death as ‘death by misadventure’ and Sheasby was cleared of any wrongdoing or actively providing the methadone.

At the weekend, Corinne played a private gig for friends and family at the city’s HiFi Club in honour of Jason.

An onlooker reported: “After the gig her mum came on stage and gave her a massive hug. It was very touching on what must have been one of the hardest performances of her life.”