‘Southern Charm’s Olivia Flowers Reveals That Her Brother Conner’s Death Was The Result Of A Fentanyl Overdose

It’s been nine months since Southern Charm star Olivia Flowers and her family revealed the tragic news that Olivia’s brother Conner passed away at his home in Charleston, South Carolina at the age of 32.

This week, in an exclusive interview with People, Olivia has revealed her brother’s cause of death: an accidental fentanyl overdose.

In the interview, Olivia explained that Conner, who died on Jan. 30, 2023, experienced symptoms of Lyme disease as a teen, though it wouldn’t be until years later that he received a proper diagnosis.

Olivia told the magazine, “I remember my parents taking him to doctors literally around the world trying to find answers to these symptoms that he talked about to no avail. My parents saw the best of the best clinics, and Conner was just told over and over, ‘It’s all in your head, you’re fine.'”

At that time, he was prescribed painkillers to help with the physical pain the disease caused him, she said.

“He started depending, at a very young age, on this prescription medicine to feel normal. And we as a family started to see this toll it took on his body,” Olivia told the outlet.

Though Conner’s Lyme disease was eventually diagnosed and properly treated, he has become addicted to the opioids he had been taking to deal with his pain, and Olivia explained that he was aware of his own addiction and often sought help to minimize his drug dependence.

“He always maintained that he had a problem. It was never a fight to get him to go to rehab; anytime my parents would get him help, it was because asked for it,” she said. “He wanted to stop this.”

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Olivia painfully recalled the day she learned of Conner’s death, saying, “I talked to him on the phone that day and we were going to meet at our house in Isle of Palms. But I went there, and it didn’t seem like anyone was home, so I left.

“My dad called me and said he could see on the cameras in our driveway that there was an ambulance there. And I turned around to get back but by the time I got there, the house was blocked off and nobody was allowed to go in,” Olivia said. “I think I stood there for, it felt like an hour — just asking questions, not getting any answers. And it wasn’t until the coroner pulled up that I put two and two together and realized he was gone.”

She added, “We were on the phone not even an hour earlier. And then… he’s gone,” telling People, “It’s just heartbreaking. There are these holes in the healthcare system, and my brother fell into one.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.