Rodney King Cause of Death Believed to Be Accidental Drowning

Los Angeles police remained outside the home of a counterculture icon Monday morning, one day after they found Rodney King dead in his swimming pool.

The victim of an apparent, accidental drowning, King - who shot to infamy after four LAPD officers brutally beat him in 1991 - was first found by his fiancee.

He had been outside his home most of the evening prior to his death, according to Kelly, who said King had also smoked marijuana earlier this weekend.

"[Kelly] was inside, had been sleeping and Mr. King had been carrying conversations with her from the rear patio," Rialto Police Captain Randy De Anda said.

"She had heard [Rodney King] speaking to her. She got up to go outside to talk with him, at which time she found him at the bottom of the pool."

Officials are awaiting toxicology results to confirm the accidental nature of the demise of King, who lived a troubled life before and after the 1991 incident.

Long before it became commonplace in the YouTube / social media age, a passing motorist happened to observe and film the infamous beating video.

King, who famously pleaded for blacks and whites to “get along” after the acquittal of the four white officers sparked massive riots in L.A., was 47.

Two decades later, many observers note the parallels between King and the Trayvon Martin case, which has renewed debate over racial profiling.

Funeral arrangements for King are pending.

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