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A memorial for Prince was set up on the fence outside his home at Paisley Park on April 22 in Chanhassen, Minn. Prescription drugs were discovered with Prince when he was found dead in his Paisley Park home in suburban Minneapolis, several news organizations reported. (Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP)
INVISION VIA AP / NOV. 2015
In this file photo, Prince presents the award for favorite album — soul/R&B at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles. ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, reported that prescription painkillers were found on the musician and in his home.
MINNEAPOLIS » Investigators are looking into whether Prince died from an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before he was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press today.
The official said that among the things investigators are looking at is whether a doctor was with Prince on a plane that made an emergency landing in Illinois less than a week before the star died.
The law enforcement official has been briefed on the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The official said investigators are also looking into what kind of drugs were on the plane and at Prince’s house in suburban Minneapolis.
The official also confirmed some details that have previously been reported by other media outlets, including TMZ.
Prince’s plane made an emergency stop in Moline, in western Illinois, on April 15 and he was found unconscious on the plane, the official said. The person said first responders gave Prince a shot of Narcan, which is used in suspected opioid overdoses. The official said the so-called save shot was given when the plane was on the tarmac in Moline as Prince returned to Minneapolis following a performance in Atlanta.
The official said investigators are looking at whether Prince overdosed on the plane and whether an overdose killed him, and at what kind of drugs were involved. One possibility is the powerful painkiller Percocet or something similar, the official said.
Narcan can be used on people even if an overdose isn’t confirmed because it wouldn’t necessarily be harmful.
While it’s premature to say where the investigation is heading, the mention of a doctor calls to mind other celebrity deaths, including Michael Jackson’s. Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his role in prescribing a powerful anesthetic that contributed to the pop star’s death in 2009.
A second law enforcement official told AP that prescription drugs were discovered at Prince’s home when the musician was found dead on April 21.
That official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation into Prince’s death. The official did not elaborate. An autopsy has been performed, but results aren’t expected for three to four weeks. The search warrant for Prince’s Paisley Park home and studio — carried out the day of his death — was filed Thursday under seal at the request of investigators who said it would hamper their investigation if contents were public.
An affidavit in support of sealing the warrant, signed by Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud, also warned that disclosing details in the warrant could cause “the search or related searches to be unsuccessful” and risk injury to innocent people.
Kamerud declined to comment Thursday on the reports of drugs found at Paisley Park, and told AP that he strongly disputed reports by several media outlets that investigators had asked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for help in the case.
“We have not asked them for help, or asked them to be a part of the investigation,” Kamerud said. “We might contact them to help us, but that hasn’t happened. We don’t have the medical examiner’s report yet. We don’t know to what extent pharmaceuticals could be a part of this.”
Leo Hawkins, a DEA spokesman in Chicago, said he had no comment.
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 April 14 in that city. Prince was scheduled to perform two shows in St. Louis but canceled them shortly before his death due to health concerns.
Longtime 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.
Evidently they couldn’t pronounce the symbol that was written on the prescription bottle.
give him what he wants and more……..
Not a surprise that Opioids were involved.
you write that based on your extensive knowledge of Prince?
Too bad he didn’t take better care of his body. Pills that reduce pain sensation/perception make it harder to know our body’s limits, increase risk of injury and hamper healing. On top of that, they cloud the mind and are highly addictive.
Too bad more doctors don’t appreciate all this. Many think they are “compassionate” when they give out drugs that block pain. Prince is a high profile casualty of such malpractice, but this is a national epidemic affecting millions of Americans and their families.
Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of the overdose death of my childhood friend who became hooked on pain pills given to him after he was hit by a car while jogging in Kahaluu years earlier. His 6yo daughter and grieving family are left behind to carry on, just as the music community now must do without Prince.
Opioids are harmful and destroy lives. They always have and always will.
Just as I predicted.
Like Elvis, Michael Jackson, and more, its their final outcome. Sad and lonely, fame and wealth, this is the final outcome for many of them. There will be more.
They have to get crazy to make their kind of “music”. So they take drugs to get into that insane state.
ummm, excuse me?
their kind of “music”?
Using entertainment to pacify the public started when FDR used movie stars of the day to sell war bonds with which to pay for the weaponry the country produced to fight Japan and Germany with in WW2. Entertainment became a mainstay, along with pot mostly, and booze, in keeping the public dumb and high and very very confused.
Opiads is very dangerous illegal drug.
Doctors need to replace opioids with medical marijuana for treatment of chronic pain. Opioids are too dangerous. Use of opioids should be limited to treat acute pain. No one has ever died from a marijuana overdose, but thousands die every year from accidental opioid overdose, probably including Prince. Doctors and drug companies need to put patient welfare first instead of protecting their business model of prescribing opioids for chronic pain. Medical marijuana can also be used to wean people off opioids when they are addicted.
Shoot, 99% of us have prescription bottles at home! Too much drama!