Rhythm-and-blues singer Tony Thompson, whose body was found near an air-conditioning unit outside an East Waco apartment complex earlier this month, died accidentally while “huffing” Freon, an autopsy report released Friday shows.

Dr. Reade A. Quinton, a medical examiner at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas, determined that Thompson, 31, died from “toxic effects of chlorodifluoromethane,” or inhaling a toxic amount of Freon.

Freon is a gas primarily used in refrigeration and air-conditioning units.

Thompson, a Waco native and former lead singer for the platinum-selling Waco quintet Hi-Five in the 1990s, was found dead outside an apartment complex June 1.

Waco police said his body was found by officers working security at the apartment complex.

The autopsy report also shows that Thompson had a history of “Freon huffing.”

No alcohol or illegal drugs were detected in the singer’s system.

Methadone detected

However, the autopsy showed that Thompson had a small amount of methadone in his bloodstream.

Methadone is a synthetic narcotic used to treat drug addiction.

The U.S. Department of Justice has reported that the huffing of Freon is nothing new, but the practice of taking it from air-conditioning units in use apparently is.