Prominent Dallas Attorney Brian Loncar Died After Cocaine Use: Medical Examiner

DALLAS, TX — The death of prominent Dallas attorney Brian Loncar days after his daughter's suicide was brought on by cocaine use, according to news reports.

Loncar, 56, died mere days after the death of his daughter by suicide. According to the Dallas County medical examiner, the prominent attorney's subsequent death was due to "the toxic effect of cocaine," with a secondary cause of hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure), WFAA reported.

The medical examiner categorized the overdose as "accidental."

Loncar was found dead in his home two days after burying his 16-year-old daughter, Grace, who had battled lifelong depression, according to various news reports. He was a prominent civil litigation attorney known throughout North Texas for a series of long-running commercials for his law firm in which he cast himself as protagonist while dubbing himself as "The Strong Arm."

Loncar is survived by his wife, Sue, and five children: David, Patrick, Sally, Hailey and Abby.

From Dec. 5, 2016:

DALLAS, TX — Prominent Dallas attorney Brian Loncar was found dead early Sunday, two days after his daughter's funeral following her suicide, according to media reports.

The Dallas County medical examiner confirmed the death of the attorney to local media outlets but didn't confirm where his was found. News 8 reported police activity outside of Loncar's law offices on Sunday morning, but it's unclear if his remains were found there.

On Nov. 25, the attorney's daughter, a junior at Booker T. Washington High School, took her own life after reportedly suffering from depression, the news station reported. The 16-year-old was laid to rest this past Friday.

The Loncar family released a statement to News 8 Sunday evening:

“Our family is filled with enormous sadness and profound grief following the death of our beloved son, husband, father, friend, colleague, neighbor, advisor, and a man trusted by many people in Dallas and throughout the state of Texas. We are shocked and numbed by these tragic events and ask the community and the news media to respect our privacy in this most difficult time. Right now, we are hurting and struggling to understand. Today, we are embracing each other; we know this pain and heartache will be with us forever.”

In an obituary for his daughter, Loncar wrote that she had struggled with deep depression since she was 11 years old.

"She would tell her family that she could never feel anything," Loncar wrote in the obituary notice. "She couldn't feel all the love from everyone around her. Most tragically, she couldn't even feel the love for herself."

In the wake of his daughter's death, the attorney also wrote on his Facebook page: "I wish you could have seen both the pain and love that the suicide of a 16-year-old girl causes."

Those working at the law firm Loncar created expressed sadness over the attorney's death while vowing to continue his work of representing defendants in court. Officials noted the Facebook post represents the sole statement they would be making related to the attorney's death.

Those who have lived in or spent any time in Dallas recognize the name of the personal injury attorney. Self-described as "The Strong Arm," he starred in a prolific series of television commercials advertising his legal services that have aired in North Texas for many years. His law firm, Loncar & Associates, was founded in 1988 and today has offices throughout Texas — including Houston and Fort Worth — serving some 7,000 clients, according to the company's website.

Loncar, 56, leaves behind his wife, Sue, and five children: David, Patrick, Sally, Hailey and Abby.

Loncar made local headlines in 2008 when he crashed a Bentley into a fire engine. He later filed a lawsuit against the city as a result of the collision, but it was later thrown out, the news station reported.

>>> Read the full story at News 8

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