Prince’s half-siblings revealed that the singer was addicted to Percocet for decades, and had used the drug to help him cope with performing, not for recreational use. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost two-thirds of drug overdose deaths in 2014 in the US involved some kind of opioid.
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According to a one-page report released by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, Prince administered the drug himself on an unknown date.
According to a report by CNN, Prince (real name Prince Rogers Nelson) died of an accidental overdose of an opioid called Fentanyl.
Legal experts say the finding that Prince died of an accidental overdose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl could make the prospect of criminal charges more likely.
The source who confirmed the overdose to the AP wished to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Associated Press said test results that it had seen, showed the 57-year-old, found dead on 21 April, had the drugs in his system.
A small cluster of fans on Thursday took pictures and viewed the drawings and other memorials on the fence outside Prince’s Paisley Park Studios in suburban Minneapolis, where he died on April 21.
Officials may now know what killed Prince. The office said the death investigation is complete, and it had no further comment.
Dr. Charles Reznikoff, an addiction medicine specialist at Hennepin County Medical Center, said fentanyl is among the most risky of opioid painkillers.
It is potent and addictive and prescribed only when patients have failed to get relief with other painkillers.
The news follows earlier reports that the USA singer had the painkiller Percocet in his system when he died.
Prince’s death came less than a week after his plane made an emergency stop in IL, so he could undergo medical treatment. Narcan is used in suspected opioid overdoses.
Dr. Kornfeld, who runs the Recovery Without Walls center, was unavailable to travel immediately to Minnesota, so he sent his son, Andrew, who was among those who found Prince in his home shortly before he was pronounced dead.
On April 20, the night before his death, Prince’s representatives called Howard Kornfeld, an addiction researcher, about a “grave medical emergency”, the Star Tribune reported.
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A search warrant connected to the death investigation showed Prince had met with another physician, Dr. Michael Todd Schulemberg, on April 7 and 20. Schulenberg had written Prince prescriptions for painkillers in the past.
