Tests have shown that superstar musician Prince died of an opioid overdose.
A law enforcement official, who is close to the investigation, told AP this was established by tests after the singer’s death in April.
The 57-year-old singer was found dead on April 21 at his Minneapolis-area estate. The official, who is close to the investigation, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
A single page report is said to have stated that Prince “self-administered fentanyl” – a synthetic opioid many times more potent than heroin.
Tests have shown that superstar musician Prince died of an opioid overdose. Via Getty.
The findings confirm suspicions that opioids played a role in the musician's death.
The Star Tribune in Minnesota also quotes a separate source with knowledge of Prince's death investigation who says he died from an overdose of painkillers.
Prince's death came less than a week after his plane made an emergency stop in Moline, Illinois, for medical treatment as he was returning from a concert. The official said Prince was found unconscious on the plane and that first responders gave him a shot of Narcan, an antidote used in suspected opioid overdoses.
It was reported shortly after Prince's death that the highly addictive painkiller Percocet - which contains both acetaminophen and oxycodone - had been found in his system.
Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. on April 21.
Investigators said he was last seen alive at about 8 p.m. the night before at Paisley Park.
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Top Comments
Same drug that killed Michael Jackson, isn't it? Except a doctor administered Michael's dose, whereas Prince self-medicated. So foolish and tragic!
No fetynl is used to treat crohnic pain such as from a dad hip. It is used instead of morphine or OxyContin but it is the same class of drugs. He likely started it for pain and as he became tolerant he or his doctor would have upped the dose. Of course some people enjoy the feeling and take more than prescribed to enjoy the feeling.
Michael Jacksons case was totally different he was on profofol an anaesthetic drug one that requires a doctor to monitor his breathing at all times it's not a medicine you can use outside hospitals he wasn't treating pain he was being put under for surgery each night and the doctor supposed to be keeping his airway secure went on a toilet break.
Lots of people use fentynl and it being written as ten times stronger than morphine is deceptive It is also used at a much lower dose and it is often used as it can be absorbed by patch.
not sure why he took too much, to do that would be hard to do accidentally.
I am on a opioid for pain in order to keep my tolerance low I only eat one meal and don't do much physically to cause the pain. I've been switched twice to fentynl but sadly it's not right for me the patch would be great but nope.
I wanted to reply because my brother once told me I'd die like Michael Jackson I tried to explain going under anethetitic without being in hospital is not something I could ever do and my medicine was not going to kill if I used it correctly. Now I'm going to 'die like prince' this makes people who need medicine seem more like unsafe drug addicts who can die any second even when we take medicine correctly.
If he did have pneumonia as first reported opioids can make that way worse.
Michael's Jackson's death was actually from propofol, it's what you're given to knock you out at the start of an operation :)
As an addict he may have been extracting the fentanyl from the patch to inject - which is incredibly risky as you don't know how much of the drug you are injecting - this would negate the low dose and pose a much higher risk of overdose.