What you need to know
Blondie guitarist Chris Stein is speaking out after five people were arrested on suspicion of distributing the fentanyl that killed his 19-year-old daughter Akira.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies announced the arrests on Oct. 30, saying in a statement that drugs distributed by the five caused the fatal overdoses of three 19-year-olds in 2023, including Aquila and Robert De Niro’s grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez.
The same day, Stein, 75, posted a photo of Akira on Instagram, sharing the news and thanking authorities for their diligent efforts to track down those responsible for her death.
“Today an arrest was made and announced in Akira’s case. I cannot thank you enough for the DEA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the NYPD for being so compassionate and respectful throughout this entire process and hoping that she would get some justice,” he wrote. “Please be careful.”
Stein shared Akira with his wife, actress Barbara Sciclanza. They are also parents to daughter Vali (20).
The musician announced Akira’s death in a Facebook post in July 2023, saying he died of an overdose in May of the same year.
“She was amazing and a bright spot in the world. She suffered for several years and fell into addiction,” he wrote. “Barbara, Valli and I have moved on, but there is a big part missing in our lives. Just remember her, be kind to each other, and young people, please avoid this trap.”
A few days later, his Blondie bandmate Debbie Harry paid tribute to Akira, whom she described as her goddaughter.
“Sometimes on stage I felt like I was watching her, just like when she was little, standing with her sister Vali, looking just like me, dancing around the side of the stage,” Harry wrote alongside a photo of Stein, his wife and daughters. “I will forever grieve… our tragic loss.”
The “Heart of Glass” singer added that opioid addiction is a global epidemic, warning that fentanyl is “too dangerous, yet alluring, and too easily available. Be careful.”
Maureen Donaldson/Getty
Authorities said in an Oct. 30 statement that the defendants “operated a fentanyl distribution network that sold thousands of fentanyl pills to teens and young adults living in New York City, and relied heavily on social media to target youth drug users.”
Akira died in his family’s downtown Manhattan apartment after taking fentanyl-laced pills he had bought from two men the day before, the statement said. The two men allegedly sold her “numerous” pills in the six months before her death, and she suffered “multiple” non-fatal overdoses from the pills.
“Through their actions, these defendants left a mark of irreparable loss that shortened the lives of three teenagers who had limitless potential and who had already had a profound and immeasurable impact on those who knew them,” HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said in a statement. “Every pill, every dose represents a calculated act of destruction, leaving shattered lives and destroyed dreams.”
In May, Stein paid tribute to her late daughter in a Facebook video with the caption, “Akira, 2 years. I carry your heart with me. I’ll never be without it.”
In his book Under a Rock, he called her death “the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with,” according to the Guardian.
“I thought I conveyed my own drug experiences to my children in a negative light, and I feel guilty that the discussion may have been misconstrued,” he wrote.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
