MINNEAPOLIS, May 4 (UPI) — One of the medical professionals enlisted to aid in Prince’s recovery from painkiller addiction was present when his staffers found his body at Paisley Park.
In fact, he called 911 when the employees were too shocked to do so, according to a report by Star Tribune.
The “Purple Rain” singer died just one day before he was expected to meet with a California addiction specialist named Howard Kornfeld, the outlet reported. Kornfeld’s son, Andrew, was sent to Prince’s estate a day early to assess the singer’s need and brief him on treatment options on April 21.
Prince’s representatives contacted Howard Kornfeld, a nationally recognized authority on opioid addiction treatment and director of Recovery Without Walls, on the night of April 20 due to “a grave medical emergency,” the Kornfelds’ attorney, William Mauzy, told the Tribune.
“The plan was to quickly evaluate his health and devise a treatment plan,” Mauzy said. “The doctor was planning on a lifesaving mission.”
According to Andrew Kornfeld’s 911 call, people were “distraught” to find Prince’s body in an elevator at the singer’s compound. “We’re in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and we are at the home of Prince,” he told dispatchers, having not known the location’s address at the time.
Responders arrived within five minutes on the morning of April 21, reports said, and the iconic rock star was pronounced dead 19 minutes later, at 10:07 a.m.
Prescription pain killers were reportedly found on Prince at the time of his death.
As part of the ongoing investigation into Prince’s death, Minnesota authorities have also released a log of the all the emergency calls made from Paisley Park in the lat five years.
According to the log, obtained by BBC, authorities were called to the premises 46 times for reasons ranging from false fire alarms to allergic reactions. But one call made in 2011 by an unnamed German woman suggested Prince was in the middle of a dangerous drug habit.
The report said the woman claimed the musician divulged his “uncontrollable” cocaine addiction to her a year before and she was worried. The claim did not prompt police action.
It is still unclear whether Prince died from drug overdose, and a complete report is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
