Pop superstar Prince, who was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his era, was found dead at his home on yesterday in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist.
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His body has been released to his family but a cause of death may not be made public for weeks, officials said.
Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator Thursday at Paisley Park, and an autopsy was done Friday.
Theatres said Friday that the 1984 film starring the artist, who died Thursday, will return to the big screen for a limited theatrical run.
The star was taking the drug for a hip problem after having corrective surgery around six years ago, TMZ said.
A post-mortem examination took place on Friday, where information about Prince’s “medical and social history” was gathered, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Prince was hospitalized and advised to stay at least 24 hours, but reportedly left a few hours later when he was denied a private room.
Emergency crews who answered the 911 call in Chanhassen, about 20 miles outside Minneapolis, could not revive Prince, the sheriff said. TMZ reported that he had overdosed on the pain killer Percocet, which previously caused his jet to make an emergency landing and emergency medical services to transport him to a local hospital.
Early in the first show, he briefly disappeared from the stage without explanation.
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 singer’s death came two weeks after he canceled concerts in Atlanta because he wasn’t feeling well. He played the rest of the show without incident, repeatedly jumping up from the piano and pacing around the stage between songs, and performed three encores.
It came after some fans at Paisley Park were handed purple boxes containing a photo of Prince and a black T-shirt with 3121 printed on, the numbers referring to an album released by Prince in 2006.
In the later show, Prince coughed a few times, though the show was again energetic.
Police are investigating whether foul play was involved in Prince’s death after authorities revealed there was “no reason to believe” he killed himself.
The list of people who attended was not announced, but Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson and brother-in-law Maurice Phillips were seen on the grounds of Prince’s estate Paisley Park, as well as friends such as percussionist Sheila E. and bassist Larry Graham. Prince didn’t play except to tap out a few notes on a piano, and lingered only for a few minutes before disappearing.
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“There was always something kind of bothering him, as it does all of us”, she said.
