It seems like Prince’s death happened way back when, but in truth the 57-year-old was only found dead in his Minneapolis-area estate on April 21.

Now it has finally been confirmed what led to the singer’s death, a law enforcement officer revealing that Prince died of an opioid overdose.

This is in line with many of the reports that filtered out in the days that followed his death, rumours swirling that investigators were looking into whether a doctor had prescribed him drugs without due diligence in the weeks before the fateful day.

CNN with more on the results:

Toxicology tests for Prince concluded that the entertainer died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl, according to a report on his death by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office…

An attorney for Prince’s half-siblings said they revealed the singer had an addiction to Percocet decades before he died. One half-sibling said Prince started using the drug to help him deal with the rigours of performing, not for recreational use.

Here’s Channel24:

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 official said Prince was found unconscious on the plane and that first responders gave him a shot of Narcan, an antidote used in suspected opioid overdoses.

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.

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.

Schulenberg saw Prince April 7 and April 20 — the day before his death — according to the warrant. Schulenberg’s attorney has declined to comment on the case.

You’d guess that things are due to go very south for Dr Schulenberg, but Dr Howard Kornfeld could also be in some serious hot water:

Kornfeld sent his son Andrew on a redeye flight that night [April 20], and Andrew was among the people who found Prince’s unresponsive body the next morning, according to Kornfeld’s attorney, William Mauzy.

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 Andrew Kornfeld intended to give the medication to a Minnesota doctor who had cleared his schedule to see Prince on April 21.

Prince was actually famed for his clean and sober lifestyle, although it looks like his age was beginning to take a toll near the end:

…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.

I guess leaping off stage speakers in heels will eventually catch up with you, although in this case it was definitely a case of someone taken too soon.

[sources:channel24&channel24]

[imagesource:here]