Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson provided the update on the day an autopsy was being carried out on the 57-year-old to solve the mystery of his sudden death yesterday.
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The Grammy and Oscar victor, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, was last seen alive on Wednesday evening by staff at the compound, but his body was only discovered the following morning.
He revealed Prince had been fully clothed when he was found, and had no mobile phone near him to call for help. “It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary iconic performer, Prince, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57”, his publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said in a statement.
Litman says tickets were set to go on sale April 15, but that Prince’s representatives told him late on April 14 that Prince needed to back out because of concern he might have to cancel the shows due to illness.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office was handling the autopsy, but the agency doesn’t plan to release any preliminary information, agency spokeswoman Martha Weaver said. She said it could take several days or even weeks for tests to be completed, and that the office will wait to release findings until all the information is in.
“We have no reason to believe at this point that it’s a suicide, but it’s early on in the investigation”, Olson said.
“This all continues to be under investigation”, Olson said.
“It breaks my heart”, said Cindy Legg, a 41-year-old nurse. MME’s chief medical examiner arrived on the scene at 11:30 a.m. The office began an autopsy on Prince at 9am Thursday, lasting four hours.
Prince had reportedly overdosed on a highly-addictive prescription painkiller just days before his death.
Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, had spoken about struggling with childhood epilepsy, and friends said he had hip trouble.
The beloved performer was found collapsed in an elevator at Paisley Park near Minneapolis, Minnesota and pronounced dead at 10:07 am after unsuccessful CPR attempts on Thursday. As of Friday afternoon, the body had been returned to family. “To you, he is a celebrity”. No emergency calls regarding Prince had been received within the past year.
The office stated results would not be made public until all exams are “complete and all results are obtained”. Suicide isn’t suspected in Prince’s death.
Shawn Gardner, who attended the Atlanta show and has been to five Prince concerts, said she suspected something was “different” when the singer did not do an encore. Yea we need an ambulance right now.
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Jon Bream, music critic for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, who had covered Prince’s career since the 70s, was at the party and wrote afterwards: “He never meant to perform on Saturday…”
