He is buried in Hardin County , Tennessee at Crump Cemetery .
A heavy drinker and longtime drug user , mainly painkillers and amphetamines ( which contributed to his manic on - air behavior ) , Phillips died of heart failure at age 42 .
Phillips is buried in Hardin County , Tennessee at Crump Cemetery .
A heavy drinker and longtime drug user , mainly painkillers and amphetamines ( which contributed to his manic on - air behavior ) , Phillips died of heart failure at age 42 .