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Tests confirm Prince died of opioid overdose, police official says Tests confirm Prince died of opioid overdose, police official says
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Tests have shown that Prince died of an opioid overdose, it was reported on Thursday.
Related: Prince's final days: few clues pointed to secret behind star's untimely deathRelated: Prince's final days: few clues pointed to secret behind star's untimely death
Tests show that Prince died of an opioid overdose, a law enforcement official said on Thursday. In the weeks since the 57-year-old singer was found dead at his suburban Minneapolis compound, on 21 April, investigators have been looking into whether he had a prescription drug problem.
The 57-year-old singer was found dead at his Minneapolis-area estate on 21 April. This surprised friends and family members, who said Prince avoided alcohol and drugs and maintained a healthy lifestyle.
The official, who is close to the investigation, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. On Thursday, however, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press that tests revealed Prince died of an opioid overdose. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak to media.
The findings confirm suspicions that opioids played a role in the musician’s death. After Prince died, authorities began reviewing whether an overdose was to blame and whether he had been prescribed drugs in the preceding weeks. The Minneapolis Star Tribune, meanwhile, reported that Prince died of a painkiller overdose.
Prince’s death came less than a week after his plane made an emergency stop in Moline, Illinois for medical treatment as he was returning from an Atlanta concert. The Associated Press and other media reported, based on anonymous sources, that Prince was found unconscious on the plane, and first responders gave him a shot of Narcan, an antidote used in suspected opioid overdoses. The Carver County sheriff’s office, which is handling the investigation into the singer’s death, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At least two doctors’ names have come up in the death investigation being conducted by the Carver County sheriff’s office, the US attorney’s office in Minnesota and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The official autopsy and toxicology reports have yet to be released. Martha Weaver, public information officer for the county medical examiner’s office, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a voicemail message, Weaver stated that she had “no new information” on the Prince investigation.
Dr Michael Todd Schulenberg, a family practitioner, treated Prince twice in the weeks before his death and told investigators he prescribed medications for the singer. The medications were not specified in a search warrant for the Minnesota hospital that employed Schulenberg at the time. Prince was last seen alive around 8pm on 20 April, when he was dropped off by an acquaintance at Paisley Park, his sprawling compound in Chanhassen, Minneapolis, his long-time hometown. Two staff members appeared at the residence early on the following day, and discovered his body in an elevator on the first floor.
Schulenberg saw Prince on 7 and 20 April – the day before his death – according to the warrant. Schulenberg’s attorney has declined to comment on the case. Law enforcement officials have said there were no “obvious signs” of trauma on Prince’s body, and there were no indications of foul play or suicide.
On 20 April, Dr Howard Kornfeld, a California addiction specialist, was asked by Prince’s representatives to help the singer. Kornfeld sent his son Andrew on a redeye flight that night, and Andrew Kornfeld was among the people who found Prince’s unresponsive body the next morning, according to Kornfeld’s attorney, William Mauzy. Prince’s team was organizing treatment with a California addiction doctor to help him kick an addiction to painkillers. According to a search warrant obtained by news agencies, the day before Prince’s death a local doctor treated him for fatigue and anemia, stemming from apparent opioid withdrawal.
The doctor, Michael Todd Schulenberg, treated Prince twice in April and prescribed him medication. The warrant did not specify the type of medication.
An attorney, William Mauzy, later told reporters Prince’s representatives contacted the California addiction doctor, Howard Kornfield, on 20 April. Kornfield, who could not immediately fly to Minnesota, sent his son, Andrew, to meet Prince the day the singer’s body was found.
According to a transcript of the 911 call, a caller stated he did not know the address of Paisley Park and, at first, mistakenly said it was located in Minneapolis. Mauzy confirmed that Andrew Kornfield made the 911 call.
The younger Kornfeld, who is not a doctor, was carrying buprenorphine, a medication that can be used to treat opioid addiction by easing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, Mauzy said, explaining that he intended to give the medication to a Minnesota doctor who had cleared his schedule to see Prince on 21 April.The younger Kornfeld, who is not a doctor, was carrying buprenorphine, a medication that can be used to treat opioid addiction by easing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, Mauzy said, explaining that he intended to give the medication to a Minnesota doctor who had cleared his schedule to see Prince on 21 April.
Mauzy has refused to identify that doctor. Schulenberg is not authorized to prescribe buprenorphine.Mauzy has refused to identify that doctor. Schulenberg is not authorized to prescribe buprenorphine.
Prince’s death came two weeks after he canceled concerts in Atlanta, saying he wasn’t feeling well. He played a pair of makeup shows on 14 April in that city, and then came the emergency landing in Moline. He was scheduled to perform two shows in St Louis but canceled them shortly before his death. Prince’s death followed a chaotic scene after his last shows, on 14 April in Atlanta. Following the shows, Prince boarded a private jet to return home. Just over an hour into the flight, the plane was abruptly diverted, descending 45,000ft in 17 minutes for an emergency landing.
The superstar had a reputation for clean living, and some friends said they never saw any sign of drug use. But long-time friend and collaborator Sheila E has told the AP that Prince had physical issues from performing, citing hip and knee problems that she said came from years of jumping off risers and stage speakers in heels. A bodyguard carried an unconscious Prince from the plane, records show, and the singer was sent to a local hospital to be treated for a suspected overdose of painkillers.