Musician’s Death Spurs Heroin Demand

The death of a backup musician for Smashing Pumpkins, one of the country’s most successful alternative rock bands, has spawned a macabre surge in sales of the drug that killed him, police said Monday.

Detectives said that since Jonathan Melvoin died from an apparent overdose of heroin in a plush Park Avenue hotel early Friday, increasing numbers of users have been trying to buy Red Rum, the brand of the drug that the 34-year-old keyboard player had used.

Police said that for some, Melvoin’s death has turned out to be a commercial for the purity of the drug, and that is attracting buyers. But police called a news conference Monday to warn of the potential consequences of the use of Red Rum, which they noted is murder spelled backward.

“We’re trying to put out the word, this stuff is dangerous,” said Capt. Denis McCarthy, commander of the downtown Manhattan narcotics district. “It has high potency. Don’t shoot it.”

He also said: “Whether it’s people looking for the ultimate high, whether it’s because of the name or because [Melvoin] used it, the fact is there is greater demand than last week. We find more and more people in the area saying they came down to get Red Rum. They know . .the purity level is pretty high.”

McCarthy said the heroin probably was smuggled from Colombia, which has taken the place of Southeast Asia as the chief source of the drug for the New York market. It quickly became known as Red Rum on the street and, in many cases, actually is labeled as such.

Detectives on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where Melvoin and Jimmy Chamberlin, the band’s 32-year-old drummer, allegedly purchased the heroin they used, first became aware of the Red Rum brand in late April and have arrested several buyers and sellers.

Lately, police have dispatched additional anti-narcotics teams to the area, which still remains a major drug distribution center in the city. “The Lower East Side has always been considered the heroin capital of New York City. It is known for the heroin trade,” McCarthy said.

Packets of Red Rum sell for as little as $10 in the neighborhood, and police said many users inhale the drug.

McCarthy said it appeared that Melvoin and Chamberlin bought the brand simply because it was prevalent in the Lower East Side.

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Detectives investigating Melvoin’s death say the two musicians passed out in a room of the Regency Hotel after injecting the drug. When Chamberlin awoke, he was unable to rouse Melvoin, and summoned the security manager for the band. Melvoin was pronounced dead at the hotel.

Chamberlin was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and released on his own recognizance.

A funeral service for Melvoin was held Monday in New Hampshire.

Smashing Pumpkins has postponed concerts in New York and in the South and Midwest in the wake of the tragedy.