PRINCE died from an accidental overdose of a powerful opioid, according to autopsy results released on Thursday.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office report lists the cause of death as an accident, the result of self-administering the drug fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate that’s more powerful than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
“It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery,” according to the NIDA. “It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates.”
The legendary artist was found dead in his Minneapolis suburban home on April 21, at the age of 57.
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and ran the toxicology exam. The medical examiner’s office has completed its “death examination,” though the Carver County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its own investigation. Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said in April that the initial investigation into the legendary musician’s death showed “no obvious signs of trauma.”
On the morning that Prince’s body was found inside of an elevator, a doctor who had treated the superstar on April 7 and April 20 arrived at Paisley Park to deliver test results, according to a search warrant obtained by the Los Angeles Times and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Court documents, which have since been sealed, do not describe the test results.
Michael Todd Schulenber, who told investigators he was a doctor at the North Memorial Medical Center, “appeared on the death scene” in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21.—The Washington Post
Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2016
