Tests have officially confirmed that Prince died from an opioid overdose, and the culprit was fentanyl.
The “Purple Rain” singer was found collapsed in his Minnesota home on the morning of April 21. The test results were released by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office this past Thursday (June 2). It had widely suspected that Prince had died from opioid-related causes, but it has now been officially confirmed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Prince was scheduled to meet with an addiction specialist doctor on April 22 and that the world famous artist had been abusing painkillers leading up to his death. The doctor’s son was sent to look in on Prince because the specialist was not able to fly to Minnesota early enough to aid the musician.
His son, who had a controlled substance in his possession at the time that the doctor had given him to treat Prince, called 911 when Prince was found collapsed in a elevator shaft. A family lawyer is confident that the doctor’s son will not face prosecution since he made the 911 call, but a criminal investigation was opened by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. Details of the warrant and ensuing search have not been made clear at this time.
Following Prince’s death, two women filed a motion that claimed they were the niece and grandniece of the famous musician and that they were entitled to a portion of his estate. The two potential inheritors were the daughter and granddaughter and his half-brother Duane Nelson Sr., who passed away in March 2011. Yahoo News reported that Duane’s blood relationship with Prince names Briana Nelson and Victoria Nelson as heirs to his $300 million estate.
