It has been officially confirmed by police that Prince was found with prescription painkillers at the time of his death. The artist was found unresponsive in an elevator this past Thursday (April 21) and was only 57 years old at the time of his death. Previous reports stated that the cause of death was undetermined, but the painkillers are a powerful clue.
TMZ has now issued a report that the singer had previously overdosed on Percocet exactly five days before he died. The site has reported that Prince had been checked into a hospital and given a shot of naloxone, a drug used to reverse the effects on an overdose. He was discharged from the hospital three hours after he checked in. Reportedly, Prince was on Percocet to numb the pain of a hip problem.
NBC News first reported that Prince was found with the painkillers and that there were bottles also found in his Paisley Park residence. The case is currently being investigated by the county sheriff who is reported to have contacted the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) in regards to the case.
Prince’s lawyer had denied any reports of a drug overdose prior to this, but it appears that it may not be the case.
Many in the music industry paid tribute to Prince following his death, including Madonna, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Katy Perry. But no one gave a more insightful tribute than his first manager Owen Husney according to NME.
Husney said to NPR, “You know, he had just turned 18, and it was very much a co-working atmosphere between he and I at that point. Once he went on to his second album and all the subsequent albums, obviously, he became Prince, and he was very much in charge. But he was very willing to listen to me and to take my direction, which I think is probably the only time that ever happened, to be honest with you.”
