In some ways, it’s just the beginning.
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Fentanyl is often sold illegally and the US Centres for Disease Control has said that rising drug overdose deaths in the US are linked to increased use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
A one-page report released Thursday by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office says Prince administered the drug himself. He said Thursday his clients “did not deliver, dispense or administer any medication to Prince on the morning of his death or at any other time”.
Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, died April 21 at age 57, after being found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Prince’s autopsy report also confirms that the singer was cremated shortly after his death, a development that will hopefully curb lingering conspiracy theories related to the singer’s final resting place.
The day before Prince died, his team called an eminent opioid addiction specialist in California seeking urgent help for the singer, an attorney working for the specialist and his son said.
Prince’s attorney, William Mauzy said Andrew was carrying a small amount of buprenorphine, used to treat addiction which also offers pain relief with less possibility of overdose and addiction.
The warrant does not say what was prescribed or whether Prince took the drugs. And if he was prescribed the drug, it is not known by what doctor, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported yesterday.
Experts in medical toxicology say it’s important to know how much opioid medication a person has been using before a death to know how to interpret post-mortem blood levels.
Burt Kahn, a lawyer who specialises in medical negligence, said there was a potential for criminal liability if a doctor prescribed fentanyl to Prince, or got him habituated, and then withdrew the drug. The agency said it has increased its outreach efforts in the Chicago area over the previous year “to further help save lives”. Prince postpones two concerts in Atlanta, stating that he had fallen ill with the flu.
FILE – In this February 4, 2007 file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. But 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 speculation over his death has been growing since his death April 21.
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Prince is widely revered as one of the most influential artists of his time, mastering electric guitar so well he could play it behind his back and blindfolded and creating an instantly danceable and sexually frank brand of funk.
