Danielle Steel’s Son Found Dead of Apparent Overdose

It will take a month before it is known whether a drug overdose caused the death of Danielle Steel’s 19-year-old son, a deputy coroner said Sunday.

Nicholas John Steel Traina, who headed a punk band, was found dead Saturday morning at a home he shared with several other people in Pleasant Hill, northeast of San Francisco.

Traina was dead when officers arrived at the home, Contra Costa County Deputy Coroner Skip Eriksen said. He was wearing a pair of shorts and was lying on his bed with a syringe next to him, Eriksen said.

A finding of the cause of death awaits toxicology reports that will not be completed for about a month.

“Indicators are that drug overdose may be a possibility,” said Eriksen, who added that Traina had no known medical problems.

Howard Rubenstein, a New York-based publicist for the romance novelist, said Traina died of a drug overdose.

Traina formed the punk band Link 80, recorded two albums and toured frequently. His new band, Knowledge, had played its first show Friday at an Oakland club.