Medical examiners have found that Prince died from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office’s report comes more than a month after Prince was found slumped in a lift at his home.
Detectives have already questioned a doctor who saw Prince twice in the weeks before he died.
Prescription painkillers were Prince’s possession following his death at the age of 57, officials told media last month.
A police warrant has also revealed that Dr. Michael Schulenberg prescribed medication to Prince on April 20 – the day before he died.
The warrant does not say what was prescribed or whether Prince took the drugs.
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According to the autopsy report, Prince self-administered fentanyl, an opioid many times more powerful than heroin.
In March 2015, the US Drug and Enforcement Administration warned the drug, which it said was often laced in heroin, was a “threat to health and public safety”.
The agency said even small doses of fentanyl could be lethal and that “incidents” and overdoses related to the drug were “occurring at an alarming rate”.
Prince was found unresponsive in a lift at his Paisley Park Studios on the morning of April 21, local officials said. First responders tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The singer is believed to have suffered from knee and hip pain from years of performing, the Associated Press news agency reports, citing a friend.
Artists from around the world and Prince’s numerous fans later paid tributes to the star.
Prince was cremated in a private ceremony on April 24. His family is understood to be planning to stage a public memorial in August.
Prince’s family has begun the process of dividing up the singer’s sizeable assets.
The iconic musician left no known will and his assets are estimated to be worth about $100 million.
Prince died at his Paisley Park compound outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 21.
The singer’s sister, Tyka Nelson, and half-siblings are the apparent heirs to his estate, authorities have said.
Tyka Nelson and Prince’s half-sibling Alfred Jackson attended a hearing on May 2 at the Carver County courthouse in Minnesota, where lawyers began surveying the singer’s estate.
If no will is found, the state will determine how the money is divided up.
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During the short hearing, Judge Kevin Eide formally appointed Bremer Trust National Association as the special administration to oversee Prince’s probate case.
One attorney said there was an “ongoing search” for a will.
Investigators are still determining how Prince died at the age of 57.
Prescription painkillers were in Prince’s possession when he died. However, it is unclear what role, if any, those drugs may have played.
A law enforcement official confirmed to the Associated Press that investigators were looking into whether Prince died from a drug overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death.
According to ABC News, a vault containing unreleased Prince’s songs was found at his estate and will be drilled open by the company with temporary authority over his estate.
Prince told The View about his unreleased music in 2012.
Enough music was apparently left behind to release an album a year for the next century.
Minnesota authorities investigating Prince’s death are requesting assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Police found prescription painkillers in Prince’s possession following his sudden death in Minneapolis on April 21, NBC News reported.
Officials have yet to say what role, if any, those drugs may have played.
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Last week’s autopsy discounted suicide – but a medical examiner said full results could take several weeks.
Prince Nelson Rogers, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate.
Sheriff Jim Olson said there was no sign of trauma on Prince’s body, suggesting the singer had died alone.
The DEA will be working to “determine such things as where the medications came from, and what prescriptions Prince had obtained,” NBC reported.
There have been suggestions Prince was addicted to the painkiller Percocet, which he had been taking since 2009 to relieve hip pain.
The singers former percussionist, Sheila E, told the news agency Prince had suffered the effects of years of jumping off speakers on stage while wearing high heels.
However, claims of drug dependency have been refuted by Prince’s long-time lawyer, L Londell McMillan.
Although he admitted that Prince may have taken pills to manage pain, the lawyer said the musician was “not on any drugs that would be any cause for concern”.
Prince’s publicist Anna Meacham has confirmed the singer was cremated with a small, private service for family, friends and musicians.
The cause of his death is still unknown and the results of April 22 autopsy could take at least four weeks.
Prince Nelson Rogers, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate, near Minneapolis, on April 21, where fans are still paying tributes.
According to officials, there was no sign of trauma on the body and no indication the death was suicide.
Anna Meacham said Prince’s “final storage” would be kept private.
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“A few hours ago, Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved: family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye,” she said.
Among the people who attended the ceremony were percussionist Sheila E, bassist Larry Graham and Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson.
Prince was a Jehovah’s Witness which requires funerals to take place within a week of a person’s death.
His innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He was at his peak in the 1980s with albums like Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign O’ The Times. He sold more than 100 million records.
Prince was last seen at about 20:00 on April 20 and was found unconscious by some of his staff at about 09:30 the next morning.
He had been rushed to hospital in Illinois six days earlier, while flying home from a concert in Atlanta, Georgia, but was treated and released a few hours later.
Quoting unnamed sources, TMZ reported that Prince was treated in Illinois for an overdose of Percocet.
According to Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson, there is “no reason to believe” that Prince’s death was suicide.
The sheriff of the Minnesota county where the iconic musician had his home made the statement after a post-mortem examination.
There was no sign of trauma on the body, Sheriff Jim Olson said, suggesting Prince had died alone.
Prince Nelson Rogers, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate on April 21.
Fans have been wearing purple, the color associated with the musician who sold more than 100 million records.
Photo Getty Images
Prince’s innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He was at his peak in the 1980s with albums like Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign O’ The Times.
Sheriff Jim Olson warned that full results from the post-mortem could take several weeks, and the incident was still under investigation.
He said it was not unusual for there to be no one in the residence except Prince.
Prince was last seen at about 20:00 on April 20 and was found unconscious by some of his staff at about 09:30 the next morning.
He had been rushed to hospital in Illinois six days earlier, while flying home from a concert in Georgia, but was treated and released a few hours later.
Quoting unnamed sources, TMZ reports that Prince was treated in Illinois for an overdose of the painkiller drug Percocet.
Declining to give details of the preliminary findings, medical examiner spokesperson Martha Weaver said a full set of tests would be done on the body, involving tissue and blood samples.
Earlier, she announced that the body would be released to the family on April 22.
Sheriff Jim Olson confirmed police were in contact with Prince’s family.
“We have no reason to believe at this point that this was a suicide,” he said, then added, “but again, this is early on in the investigation and we’re continuing to investigate.”
The sheriff spoke of Prince as a good member of the community and said he had been a “friend to [his staff] as well as being an employer”.
Fans have set up impromptu memorials in Prince’s home town Minneapolis and in New York.
Prince had spoken about struggling with childhood epilepsy, the Associated Press reports, and friends say he had hip trouble.
His former percussionist, Sheila E, told the news agency Prince had suffered the effects of years of jumping off risers and speakers on stage while wearing high heels.
Prince’s latest album, HITnRUN Phase Two, was released in 2015 and he had been touring as recently as last week.
The autopsy of Prince’s body has begun in Minnesota at 9AM on April 22.
The legendary musician died suddenly at his home in Minnesota on April 21 at the aged of 57.
Prince Nelson Rogers was found collapsed in a lift at the premises outside Minneapolis, which doubled as his music studio. According to a transcript of a 9.43am emergency call released on April 22, an unidentified male caller said he was dead and replied: “Yes, it’s Prince” when asked if he was with the person. Prince was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.07AM on April 21.
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No details were released as medical examiner’s office said it could take days to determine cause of death and weeks to receive results of toxicology test.
A wave of tributes has swept around the world for Prince who sold more than 100 million records.
Fans gathered across America to dance and sing along to the musician’s hits.
Illuminated buildings from Las Vegas to Melbourne, Australia, turned purple – the color with which he was associated since the release of his album Purple Rain.
Prince’s innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz, and he was at his peak in the 1980s with albums like Purple Rain, 1999 and Sign O’ The Times.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota said an examination would be conducted on April 22 but warned it could be days or weeks before any findings were released.
Prince has died at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota at the age of 57.
Police were called to a medical emergency at the music icon’s estate on April 21 in the morning. An investigation is now under way.
On April 15, 2016, Prince’s private plane was forced to land in Illinois so he could seek medical treatment for flu-like symptoms. He had performed in a concert one day earlier in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Carver County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed Prince’s death on Twitter, writing: “Prince Rogers Nelson (57) found dead at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, MN. We are investigating the circumstances of his death.”
The police department had previously withheld his identity until the next of kin was notified.
Prince became a global superstar in the 1980s, with albums such as 1999, Purple Rain and Sign O’ the Times.
The hugely popular, acclaimed and influential musician’s innovative music spanned rock, funk, and jazz, and selling more than 100 million records during his career.
Photo Getty Images
A spokeswoman for the musician said: “It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died.
“There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time.”
Born on June 7, 1958, Prince was a prolific writer and performer from a young age – reportedly writing his first song when he was seven.
A singer, songwriter, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Prince recorded more than 30 albums. His best known hits include Let’s Go Crazy and When Doves Cry.
Prince also wrote music for several artists, with Sinead O’Connor’s version of Nothing Compares 2U becoming a worldwide smash in 1990.
In 1984, the musician won an Oscar for the score to Purple Rain, a movie he also starred in.
Throughout his career Prince had a reputation for secrecy and eccentricity, once changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.
In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which said he “rewrote the rulebook”.
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