He had been dead for awhile as the blood had settled in his lower extremes. It would appear he might have tried to save himself (position on chair) when he passed out.
But for the grace of God.... The thing that really scares me about all the times I did something like that, is not that I could have ended up like him. What scares me is that I could have died without really hanging. Getting off with a noose was always hot but if I knew it was my last, I'd want it to be really swinging by my neck.