Coronation Street star Joseph Wandera died after taking a cocktail of drugs while abroad at a music festival, an inquest has heard.
The 27-year-old actor passed away in January 2022 a week into his holiday in Costa Rica. Joseph was attending the BPM music festival. The promising actor played a buyer interested in Eileen Grimshaw’s car in Coronation Street back in 2018.
On Tuesday (September 17), details about the actor’s death emerged at Rochdale Coroners’ Court.
Coronation Street star Joseph Wandera died after drug cocktail
At the hearing, it was said that Joseph had taken ecstasy and a mysterious mix known as “Pink Stuff” – something he told his girlfriend. The day before he died, he sent a message to his girlfriend Alison Maloney, who was in England. He told her was “getting on it like mad”.
As Manchester Evening News reports, on January 16, the morning of his death, he messaged again: “Not gonna lie, I don’t know what was in the [expletive] thing that I [expletive] took.
“I can only type with my left hand and now I can’t see out of my left eye,” he added. Joseph also shared that he had not slept for two days and was vomiting.
The Corrie star disclosed to her that he’d been vomiting continuously and hadn’t slept for two days. In a statement to the court,
Joseph’s friend Renay Zollner, whom he met in Marbella, gave a statement to the court. She recalled that they “became friends” following nights out in Manchester. She also shared that she went to the festival in Costa Rica alongside some of his friends.
Recounting the outbound flight, Renay said Joseph “looked tired” but seemed to be “otherwise healthy”. She also revealed that ‘the boys’ stayed in a villa while she slept in an apartment.
Joseph’s friend saw Coronation Street star ‘snorting’ pink drug
Renay said that Joseph had been consuming MDMA (ecstasy) too – but she said she wasn’t certain about the quantity. According to her, “everybody” was purchasing it from dealers that were local.
She then claimed that although she didn’t see Joseph consume alcohol, she recalled that he tried a drug called Pink Stuff, a pink powder. Renay claimed she saw him “snort” the substance a “few days” prior to his death.
One week into their holiday, and after a night out, Renay said she fell asleep on January 16 at 3am at her apartment in the Tamarindo beach resort.
She then received a WhatsApp message from Joseph asking for her to pick him up and she agreed. Renay spent 50 minutes driving to his location which was “in the middle of a forest by the coast.”
Overwhelmed with the support … mad love for everyone that’s getting onto me & caught my ep … They’ll be more to come this year ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WoxxCTvOHo
— Joe Wandera (@Joewandera_) April 21, 2018
Coronation Street star Joseph ‘had a fit on the floor’
When she saw him, Renay noticed bags under Joseph’s eyes but dismissed this as “normal.” She explained: “All of us were sleep deprived because of all the partying, drinking and drugs”.
Renay then said that Joseph was unable to give her his villa’s location. She drove back to her apartment instead. Joseph had suggested to sleep on the sofa but she told him to sleep in a bed.
According to Renay, Joseph was “not hot or sweaty” before she went to bed. However, at 7.15am she was woken up by another boy who had stayed over, Fidel. He told her that Joseph was “fitting on the floor.”
She instructed Fidel to put Joseph in the recovery position but five minutes later she found Joseph on the floor. Renay said she couldn’t find a pulse but noticed some breathing.
The ambulance service was contacted and they were advised to “start CPR.” Fidel started performing chest compressions. However, when paramedics arrived, according to Renay, they declared “nothing more could be done.”
Joseph’s mum on shock death
Joseph’s mum, Claire Beatson, appeared at the inquest on Tuesday. She shared that her son grew up in Salford and Prestwich and studied performing arts.
She told the court Joseph was someone who “loved” the performing arts and worked at Greggs and JD Sports after his studies. He was signed by an acting agency where he also worked as an administrator.
The court heard that Joseph was a social drinker and a regular attendee of Manchester’s Parklife music festival. His mum also revealed that used to smoke cannabis when he was younger. She shared that he “occasionally” took ecstasy, but said that it “wasn’t something that was his usual behaviour.”
According to Claire she was “shocked” by the substances her son had taken because “he’s never taken anything like this before”.
Joseph’s mum shares final text from Coronation Street star
A toxicological report from Costa Rica revealed the presence of ketamine and MDMA (ecstasy) in Joseph’s blood. It did not specify the concentration of these drugs.
“He was a humorous, kind young man who enjoyed entertaining people and loved life,” Claire said.
As reported during the inquest, during his final trip, Joseph kept in touch with his mum sending her photos and text messages. The last message she received from him is dated the afternoon of January 15. He indicated he was at a party and “having a good time.” The news of Joseph’s son’s death was later told to her by his girlfriend.
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