Prescription drugs were discovered with Prince when he was found dead in his Paisley Park home in suburban Minneapolis, several news organizations reported.
ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN, citing unidentified law enforcement sources, reported that prescription painkillers were found on the 57-year-old musician and in his home. The Star Tribune, also citing unnamed sources, reported that prescription pills were found but that it wasn’t clear whether they had been prescribed to Prince.
Prince died April 21. An autopsy has been performed, but results weren’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.
The music megastar’s death came less than a week after reports that his plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, as he returned after performing in Atlanta. TMZ, citing unidentified sources, reported that Prince was treated for an overdose of the painkiller Percocet.
Airport and public safety officials in Moline have refused to confirm that the plane that made an emergency landing there was Prince’s aircraft, and heavily redacted incident reports released to The Associated Press under a public information request did not identify the person who was treated. Prince’s representatives have not responded to AP’s request for comment on the reports.
Carver County Deputy Sheriff Jason 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
We need to wait for the medical examiner’s report before jumping to conclusions. People are prescribed painkillers every day. That doesn’t mean Prince was abusing them nor that the painkillers had anything to do with his death.
The tabloids are trying to push the narrative that Prince died from drugs. Prince was against drugs.However it is becoming clear he became addicted to prescription pain meds ( opioids ) after having hip surgery. There is a high number of chronic pain patients who become dependent and addicted to pain meds. It is more common than you think. People don’t do this intentionally, they are only trying to get out of Chronic pain, which never goes away.I know because i am a chronic pain patient.In order not to get addicted i don’t take what i am perscribed.Others take them more often than they should in order to suppress the pain and try to make it go away. That’s when you are going to get in trouble.What happens is after a while on the meds your body gets use to that dose an it takes more meds to maintain the same amount of pain relief. As a chronic pain patient you have to be willing to put-up with some pain. Some try to make it all go away. That leads to trouble.But i do understand.
Judy Garland is one of Minnesota’s best known entertainers. And it seems her death was very similar to the latest Minnesota entertainer/superstar. Originally Judy Garland was thought to have committed suicide, but later the cause of her death was the wrong mixture of drugs/alcohol. It will be ironic if Prince’s death is proven to be very similar. We’ll just have to cherish Judy’s movies, TV shows, and music; and we’ll surely remember Prince.
There ‘MIGHT’ be a time in life to give up performing IF drugs (pain killers) are required to maintain that endevor.
Prince was surely a gifted songwriter and musician who could have maintained his artistic legacy in writing and recording his music for many years into the future WITHOUT the rigors of live performances. (maybe the adulation from fans was part of the draw~~but he will NEVER experience that again) Then again, none of us have the ability to get inside the mindset of his motives .
With an estate estimated at $300,000,000, his lifestyle should have been very secure for the remainder of his ‘natural life’.
Life is a constant series of choices, and sometimes we don’t choose the best one that affect our futures and well being.
It seems that far too many Super Stars lives end in tragic ways, with a great many being from drug overdoses. (whether they be prescribed by a medical professeional or illegal)