When Andrew Kornfeld arrived at Paisley Park on the morning of April 21, Prince could not be found. Shortly after, Kornfeld ended up being one of three people who found Prince’s body in an elevator, prompting shock and horror from Prince’s staff members.
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American medic Andrew Kornfeld had flown from California to consult with Prince on his health, after the medical scare the week before during a plane journey from Atlanta to Minnesota.
Andrew Kornfeld’s name has been corrected on second reference.
Emergency responders arrived within five minutes. Investigators have indicated they are exploring what role, if any, prescription painkillers may have played in Prince’s death and in his emergency treatment at a hospital about a week before his death. An autopsy was done the day after Prince’s death but results, including toxicology results, weren’t expected for as many as four weeks.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation has told AP that investigators are looking into whether Prince died from an overdose.
Prince was believed to have signed off on getting help.
While authorities have characterized their work as a criminal investigation, that doesn’t mean that it will result in charges.
Prince’s team hoped the musician would be willing to go to California with Kornfeld for long-term treatment, Mauzy said.
Mauzy and Howard Kornfeld haven’t responded to messages from The Associated Press on Wednesday morning.
He says the drug can help addicted patients by offering pain relief with less possibility of overdose and addiction, unlike oxycodone or morphine.
Duane Nelson, who died in 2013, was adamant that Prince was in no way just a recreational user, Padden said.
Also known as suboxone, buprenorphine is an FDA-approved opiate derivative that was originally developed as a painkiller in England 40 years ago.
Doctors like Kornfeld mostly prefer prescribing buprenorphine over methadone, because methadone needs to be dispensed to patients daily. Andrew Kornfeld was carrying a small amount of buprenorphine, a treatment option for patients with addiction, according to reports. However, it was never administered, Mauzy said.
Prince was found dead on April 21 at age 57 at his home-studio complex Paisley Park in a Minneapolis suburb. Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation have said that the landing occurred because Prince was overdosing on opioids.
Prince’s bodyguard carried him to waiting paramedics at the airport and he was given a shot of the opioid antidote Narcan.
Because Andrew is not a doctor, though, investigators took him into custody, interviewed him, and informed him of the investigation.
The details about Prince’s death that emerged Wednesday raise questions about whether he received appropriate care and whether those who sought to provide it could face legal consequences for their actions.
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“I have nothing to say”, she said.
