Dustin had been in a hospital in his home state of Texas for approximately three weeks, as his liver had shut down, become non-functional and took a toll on his body.

Bandmate and bassist Michael Vazquez explains in The Boston Phoenix:

"Dustin's liver just shut down and couldn’t function anymore."

While his death was a bit sudden, he did suffer through a myriad of health issues throughout his life. Vazquez:

"Dustin’s never really had the best health. When he was a baby, he had to have a lung taken out, and that obviously complicated things. Most people are born with a certain enzyme to help filter alcohol, and he wasn't born with that. Even if he was a mild drinker, that wasn’t gonna help. He hit it pretty hard."

Damone, who were based in Waltham, Massachusetts were active from 2002 through 2008. They released three albums while signed to RCA and then Island before splitting up in 2009.