Tay Keith died from the combined toxic effects of ketamine and other substances, an autopsy has found. The findings were released three months after the Grammy-nominated producer died at 29.
Keith, whose legal name was Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, died from “mitragynine, 7-hydroxy mitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and ketamine toxicity,” the Nashville medical examiner said, according to ABC News. His manner of death was ruled an accident.
Officers conducting a welfare check discovered Keith in his Nashville apartment on June 18. Metro Nashville Police said at the time that no foul play was suspected.
Mitragynine occurs in the leaves of kratom, a tree native to Southeast Asia. The body can convert it into 7-hydroxymitragynine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
His Family Remembered the People He Helped
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In a statement posted by Drumatized on June 19, Keith’s relatives called him a “visionary producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cultural force.” They remembered BryTavious as “a source of love, strength, laughter, and guidance.”
He used Drumatized to support emerging songwriters, producers and artists, his family wrote. He had also supported mental health awareness and cancer-related causes in memory of his mother. The family asked for privacy and continued prayers for his loved ones.
Drake thanked Keith for his contributions to music in an Instagram tribute, writing that he would be “deeply missed.” Travis Scott posted that he would keep working hard in Keith’s memory.
A No. 1 Record Before Graduation
Keith once flew home from New York on the morning of a test, stopped at his house and went straight to class. He recounted the trip in a 2020 interview with Student Voice, after graduating from Middle Tennessee State University in December 2018.
“By my last week of college, I had my first number one single, so it didn’t make any sense to drop out,” he told the publication.
His 2018 credits included BlocBoy JB and Drake’s “Look Alive,” Drake’s “Nonstop” and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode.” The latter topped the Billboard Hot 100 and brought him his first Best Rap Song nomination for the 2019 Grammys. The nominations were announced while he was still a student.
Beverly Keel, dean of MTSU’s Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment, recalled that people had questioned why he was staying in school while working with Drake and Scott. “He had promised his mother that he would earn a college degree,” she said in a university remembrance quoted by ABC News.
After graduating, Keith returned to campus to work with students and became an honorary professor. His recording credits continued to grow, including Beyoncé’s “Before I Let Go” and Sexyy Red’s “Pound Town.” A second Best Rap Song nomination followed in 2024 for Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex.”
BMI credited him with 11 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four No. 1s. The organization named him R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year three times.
His Family Accepted His BMI Award in August
Keith shared BMI’s 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year honor with GloRilla and Mike Dean. The award recognized his work on Drake’s “First Person Shooter,” Sexyy Red’s “Get It Sexyy” and Travis Scott’s “MELTDOWN.”
At the organization’s 2026 ceremony, family members Jalisa Chambers and Deon Conway joined Keith’s longtime manager, Cambrian Strong, onstage to accept the award on his behalf. Baller Alert reported that the presentation took place on August 26 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.