The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced Thursday that Sackler-named exhibition spaces will no longer carry the name.

“We believe this to be in the best interest of the Museum and the important mission that it serves . . . we are passing the torch to others who might wish to step forward to support the Museum,” said the Sackler family descendants in a news release.

Dan Weiss, the Met's president and CEO, said in a statement that the Sacklers, "have been among our most generous supporters."

The removal of the name Sackler from Met spaces, including a wing that houses the iconic Temple of Dendur, comes as the Sackler name has been marred by controversy over their association with the opioid crisis, though neither the Met nor the Sacklers implied that outright.

Multiple groups have called for the Sacklers’ name to be removed from the Met, including comedian John Oliver. Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, among other opioid makers, are often blamed for the ongoing opioid crisis. Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma manufactured drugs like OxyContin.

Opioid addiction often leads to more dangerous, illegal drugs including heroin and fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be found in numerous other illicit substances. The Centers for Disease Control has described the crisis as an epidemic and claims that 136 people die every day in the U.S. from an opioid overdose, both prescribed and synthetic drugs.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there have been 760,000 deaths since 1999 from a drug overdose, including opioid-related deaths. In 2019, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers and 745,000 people used heroin.

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