MINNEAPOLIS, June 2 (UPI) — Iconic musician Prince died of an opioid overdose, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Thursday, citing a source close to the investigation.
Official toxicology and autopsy reports were not released. The probe into the pop star’s death at age 57 is focusing on how Prince obtained prescription opioids.
He was found dead by two staffers at his Minneapolis compound, Paisley Park, on the morning of April 21. Prescription drugs were found on his person.
“We need to see the Prince in all of us. We need to see the vulnerability,” Dr. David Kessler, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re all vulnerable here. It’s a wake-up call for how we view these drugs.”
Kessler called it troublesome that many people who are initially prescribed opioids for pain eventually become addicted to the drugs. “The most important thing is not to look at this through a lens of ‘This is bad behavior,'” Kessler said. “We all are susceptible to these medications.”
Prince’s death occurred just one day before he was scheduled to meet with a sought-after doctor in an attempt to end an opioid addiction.
Californian addiction specialist Howard Kornfeld was expected to arrive in Minnesota on April 22, but had sent his son and partner, Andrew, ahead. Andrew Kornfeld was present when Prince’s staff found his body in an elevator.
In May, investigators from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration conducted a second search of Prince’s home.
On April 15, Prince’s jet had to make an emergency landing en route to Minneapolis from Atlanta due to an unresponsive passenger.
