Musician Prince dead at 57
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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/arts/music/prince-death-final-days.html
Clues to the Mystery of Prince’s Final Days
By JOHN ELIGON and SERGE F. KOVALESKI
A fence outside Prince’s home in a Minneapolis suburb has become the canvas for a purple-tinged memorial.CreditRenee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune, via Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — The 1988 Dassault Falcon 900 was about an hour into its flight from Atlanta in the wee hours of Friday, April 15, when the pilot made a distress call to air traffic controllers in Chicago.
There was a medical emergency on board. A male passenger was unresponsive.
And so the Chicago airport officials diverted the flight for an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., just 48 minutes from its intended destination of Minneapolis.
As it turned out, the flight was carrying the musical genius Prince, who, a week later, would be found dead, collapsed in an elevator on the first floor of his suburban Minneapolis compound.
“We had an emergency unscheduled landing at 1:35 a.m. on April 15 for a medical emergency for an unresponsive person,” said Jo Johnson, the human resource manager for Quad Cities International Airport in Moline.
It remains unclear what caused Prince, 57, to become unresponsive on the flight last week. His publicist has attributed the crisis to the fact that the entertainer was “fighting the flu.”
But officials investigating Prince’s sudden death said Friday that the plane’s emergency landing, and what caused it, would be part of their sweeping inquiry.
Prince spent only a few hours at a Moline hospital before his private jet flew home here, and the entertainer resumed life at his compound in nearby Carver County. Just days before his death, he attended a show at a local jazz club, and playfully showed off his new piano and guitar at a party at his studio.
As law enforcement officials await the complete results of an autopsy performed Friday, they said they would be reviewing local pharmaceutical records as part of a broad effort to understand Prince’s full medical history. They declined to comment on reports that Prince had been taking pain medication, saying the investigation was continuing.
“This is a tragedy for all of us,” said Jim Olson, the sheriff of Carver County, where Prince’s estate, Paisley Park, was located in the town of Chanhassen. “To you, Prince Rogers Nelson was a celebrity. To us, he was a community member and a good neighbor.”
Prince was last seen alive at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening when someone dropped him off at his estate, where he lived alone, Sheriff Olson said during the afternoon news conference.
Unable to make contact with Prince on Thursday morning, Paisley Park staff members went looking for him in the sprawling compound. They found him unresponsive in an elevator and called 911 at 9:43 a.m., Sheriff Olson said.
“The person is dead here,” a male caller told the dispatcher, according to a transcript of the 911 call. Later, the caller added, “And the people are just distraught.”
Medics responding to the home could not resuscitate Prince, who was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Thursday, Sheriff Olson said. He was not sure, he said, how long Prince, dressed in a shirt and pants, had been collapsed in the elevator.
There were no obvious signs of injuries, and Sheriff Olson said the death was not believed to be a murder or a suicide. Officials said the body had been released to Prince’s family but that it may be weeks before any details from the autopsy are released. Before that, further tests need to be completed and the medical history must be compiled.
There remain many questions around Prince’s health. Sheila E, a friend who collaborated with Prince, said during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the star did have hip problems from his performances onstage. He has said in interviews that he struggled with epilepsy as a child.
The mystery of the end of Prince’s life has left his vast legion of supporters measuring their shock.
As they wait for answers, fans around the world grieved and celebrated his life with the frenetic energy with which Prince lived it — with dance parties and widespread tributes, from social media posts to impromptu Broadway performances.
Here in his hometown, the famed First Avenue dance club held a free overnight dance party from Thursday into Friday, with more scheduled through the weekend. Makeshift memorials popped up outside of the club and in front of Paisley Park.
Billboards encouraged residents to wear purple, a major bridge was lit in the color and a purple orchid with a note that read “Rest In Peace Prince” lay on the four-seat table of the intimate Dakota Jazz Club where Prince sat when he attended a show there on Tuesday.
“It’s a very somber moment here, but his legacy will live on,” Kinneva Brown said as she visited Paisley Park on Friday.
Those who knew him and saw him in his final days said the master showman betrayed no sign that he was near death.
With his Afro picked out, Prince hopped on stage before about 300 revelers last Saturday — the night after his emergency landing in Moline — at one of the pop-up parties he was famous for throwing at Paisley Park. He banged out a quick performance of “Chopsticks” on his new purple piano, Scott Lawrence, who was in attendance with his son, said.
He then broke out a new purple-and-gold Gus Guitar, placing it on the piano and then moving away.
“It’s too cool to open up,” Prince joked, according to Mr. Lawrence.
But the cross-genre star also offered a few accidentally prescient words, Mr. Lawrence recalled.
“Wait a few days before you waste your prayers,” he told the crowd, referring to reports of his medical emergency from the previous day.
Close followers of Prince find it hard to believe that anything sinister could have played into his death. He was a Jehovah’s Witness and obsessively healthy eater. You couldn’t drink, smoke or even curse at his Paisley parties.
“Better eat your cheeseburger before you get to Paisley,” Van Jones, a political commentator and activist who was a friend of Prince’s, said he used to think before visiting Prince.
Last Saturday, Prince stopped by Electric Fetus, a Minneapolis record store, and bought about half a dozen CDs, said Bob Fuchs, the retail manager. Prince had been coming to the store for 30 years, Mr. Fuchs said, and nothing on this visit seemed out of the ordinary.
“Thanks for your support,” Mr. Fuchs recalled telling Prince, referring to something the musician had been helping the store with. “He smiled and said ‘Hello’ and ‘You’re welcome.’”
“He looked very alert and well dressed,” Mr. Fuchs added. “He seemed the same old. I did not think anything about the way he looked. Nothing suggested to me anything different.”
Lori Rotenberk and Dirk Johnson contributed reporting from Moline, Ill.; Christina Capecchi and Sheila Eldred from Minnesota and Susanne Craig and Jeremy B. Merrill from New York.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/princes-entourage-questioned-over-alleged-7814142
Prince's entourage to be questioned over alleged overdose on painkillers during flight
BY ASHLEIGH RAINBIRD , CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN
Everyone aboard the flight on which Prince allegedly suffered an overdose of painkillers days before his death is to be quizzed by police.
Investigators said they want to speak to the singer’s friends, staff and flight crew – as it was claimed he had needed emergency treatment for the same drug used by fierce rival Michael Jackson.
Sources say the 57-year-old took so many Percocet painkillers shortly after performing in Atlanta eight days ago that his condition became critical.
And his team were so fearful for his safety they diverted the Gulfstream jet to Moline, Illinois to get urgent medical attention – despite being only 48 minutes from his home.
At the hospital the pop superstar was reportedly administered a “save shot” normally given in dire circumstances to overdose victims.
Doctors advised Prince would need to be monitored for 24 hours – but when his management failed to secure him a private room they discharged him.
When he left the hospital after just three hours he was described as “not doing well”.
Yet the 5ft 2 inch singer made an appearance at a party in Minnesota the next day, assuring worried fans they should “wait a few days before you waste any prayers”.
A police source said: “We understand Prince suffered chronic pain after developing a hip problem. Naturally he took painkillers to ease his troubles but police are looking into if he was prescribed too many.
“We have seen in the case of Jackson how people can acquire large quantities of drugs when really they should be monitored.”
The autopsy on Prince was completed on Friday and his body was due to be released that night to his family. Results are likely not to be available for some weeks as medics await the outcome of tests.
Percocet contains oxycodone, associated for 30 years with high levels of drug abuse. That is a key component of Oxycontin – one of the drugs most abused by Jackson.
Known as “hillybilly heroin”, it is widely sold illegally.
When police searched Jackson’s home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles after his death, they found massive quantities of opioid-based medication, including Percocet.
Doctors warn the drug is highly addictive and should not be taken in large quantities.
Throughout their careers Prince and Jackson endured a bitter rivalry, feuding for many years.
When the Purple Rain singer pulled out of charity song We Are The World, it was claimed to be because he did not want to appear alongside the King of Pop.
Reports in the US say Prince’s staff did tell medics he had taken the painkillers. Police do not suspect any of the pop star’s entourage of wrongdoing.
Details of the alleged overdose came as photos emerged of him leaving a Walgreens pharmacy the evening before his death.
The music icon was reportedly seen at around 7pm on Wednesday – his fourth visit to the chemist in a week.
He was described as looking “frail and nervous” and “not his usual self”. Less than 15 hours later he was found unconscious in a lift at his Paisley Park estate.
Paramedics were called to the property at 9.43am on Thursday after receiving a frantic 911 from inside.
The caller is said to have told the emergency dispatcher the people inside the house were “distraught” before giving the address as 7801 Paisley Park, adding: “Yes, it’s Prince.”
On Friday thousands of fans continued to arrive at his home to pay their respects. Many left purple flowers, while others wrote messages of love on huge posters tied to the fence.
Brian Keogh, 49, who attended more than 20 concerts inside Paisley Park, said Prince’s loss was “immeasurable”.
He said: “It is a very, very dark day. He was the ultimate performer. I’d receive an email on a Friday about the concerts, then hours later he was right in front of us doing what he did best – entertain.”
Thousands of fans also gathered at the First Avenue club in Minneapolis, where Prince recorded the film version of Purple Rain, while others held vigils across the US, including in Los Angeles and New York.
Dimitri Whitman Sr, who attended Prince’s last Paisley Park gig on Friday, said the star had been in “good, playful spirits”. He said: “I asked how he was feeling. He said fine. My lasting memory will be his smile. He was just so happy.
“He wanted everyone to know he was alive and well. He smiled, he joked and showed off his new guitar.”
And he revealed Prince had played party guests a 30-minute recording of his final gig in Atlanta. Dimitri added: “He said it was to be released as an album. I’m sure that’s up in the air now.”
He said of Prince’s final party night: “He was just partying with his assistant. Some dance parties turn into jumps, others stay as dance parties.
“You may or may not see him walking around. If you do, he’ll normally smile – or even stop for a brief conversation.”
Clues to the Mystery of Prince’s Final Days
By JOHN ELIGON and SERGE F. KOVALESKI
A fence outside Prince’s home in a Minneapolis suburb has become the canvas for a purple-tinged memorial.CreditRenee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune, via Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — The 1988 Dassault Falcon 900 was about an hour into its flight from Atlanta in the wee hours of Friday, April 15, when the pilot made a distress call to air traffic controllers in Chicago.
There was a medical emergency on board. A male passenger was unresponsive.
And so the Chicago airport officials diverted the flight for an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., just 48 minutes from its intended destination of Minneapolis.
As it turned out, the flight was carrying the musical genius Prince, who, a week later, would be found dead, collapsed in an elevator on the first floor of his suburban Minneapolis compound.
“We had an emergency unscheduled landing at 1:35 a.m. on April 15 for a medical emergency for an unresponsive person,” said Jo Johnson, the human resource manager for Quad Cities International Airport in Moline.
It remains unclear what caused Prince, 57, to become unresponsive on the flight last week. His publicist has attributed the crisis to the fact that the entertainer was “fighting the flu.”
But officials investigating Prince’s sudden death said Friday that the plane’s emergency landing, and what caused it, would be part of their sweeping inquiry.
Prince spent only a few hours at a Moline hospital before his private jet flew home here, and the entertainer resumed life at his compound in nearby Carver County. Just days before his death, he attended a show at a local jazz club, and playfully showed off his new piano and guitar at a party at his studio.
As law enforcement officials await the complete results of an autopsy performed Friday, they said they would be reviewing local pharmaceutical records as part of a broad effort to understand Prince’s full medical history. They declined to comment on reports that Prince had been taking pain medication, saying the investigation was continuing.
“This is a tragedy for all of us,” said Jim Olson, the sheriff of Carver County, where Prince’s estate, Paisley Park, was located in the town of Chanhassen. “To you, Prince Rogers Nelson was a celebrity. To us, he was a community member and a good neighbor.”
Prince was last seen alive at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening when someone dropped him off at his estate, where he lived alone, Sheriff Olson said during the afternoon news conference.
Unable to make contact with Prince on Thursday morning, Paisley Park staff members went looking for him in the sprawling compound. They found him unresponsive in an elevator and called 911 at 9:43 a.m., Sheriff Olson said.
“The person is dead here,” a male caller told the dispatcher, according to a transcript of the 911 call. Later, the caller added, “And the people are just distraught.”
Medics responding to the home could not resuscitate Prince, who was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Thursday, Sheriff Olson said. He was not sure, he said, how long Prince, dressed in a shirt and pants, had been collapsed in the elevator.
There were no obvious signs of injuries, and Sheriff Olson said the death was not believed to be a murder or a suicide. Officials said the body had been released to Prince’s family but that it may be weeks before any details from the autopsy are released. Before that, further tests need to be completed and the medical history must be compiled.
There remain many questions around Prince’s health. Sheila E, a friend who collaborated with Prince, said during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the star did have hip problems from his performances onstage. He has said in interviews that he struggled with epilepsy as a child.
The mystery of the end of Prince’s life has left his vast legion of supporters measuring their shock.
As they wait for answers, fans around the world grieved and celebrated his life with the frenetic energy with which Prince lived it — with dance parties and widespread tributes, from social media posts to impromptu Broadway performances.
Here in his hometown, the famed First Avenue dance club held a free overnight dance party from Thursday into Friday, with more scheduled through the weekend. Makeshift memorials popped up outside of the club and in front of Paisley Park.
Billboards encouraged residents to wear purple, a major bridge was lit in the color and a purple orchid with a note that read “Rest In Peace Prince” lay on the four-seat table of the intimate Dakota Jazz Club where Prince sat when he attended a show there on Tuesday.
“It’s a very somber moment here, but his legacy will live on,” Kinneva Brown said as she visited Paisley Park on Friday.
Those who knew him and saw him in his final days said the master showman betrayed no sign that he was near death.
With his Afro picked out, Prince hopped on stage before about 300 revelers last Saturday — the night after his emergency landing in Moline — at one of the pop-up parties he was famous for throwing at Paisley Park. He banged out a quick performance of “Chopsticks” on his new purple piano, Scott Lawrence, who was in attendance with his son, said.
He then broke out a new purple-and-gold Gus Guitar, placing it on the piano and then moving away.
“It’s too cool to open up,” Prince joked, according to Mr. Lawrence.
But the cross-genre star also offered a few accidentally prescient words, Mr. Lawrence recalled.
“Wait a few days before you waste your prayers,” he told the crowd, referring to reports of his medical emergency from the previous day.
Close followers of Prince find it hard to believe that anything sinister could have played into his death. He was a Jehovah’s Witness and obsessively healthy eater. You couldn’t drink, smoke or even curse at his Paisley parties.
“Better eat your cheeseburger before you get to Paisley,” Van Jones, a political commentator and activist who was a friend of Prince’s, said he used to think before visiting Prince.
Last Saturday, Prince stopped by Electric Fetus, a Minneapolis record store, and bought about half a dozen CDs, said Bob Fuchs, the retail manager. Prince had been coming to the store for 30 years, Mr. Fuchs said, and nothing on this visit seemed out of the ordinary.
“Thanks for your support,” Mr. Fuchs recalled telling Prince, referring to something the musician had been helping the store with. “He smiled and said ‘Hello’ and ‘You’re welcome.’”
“He looked very alert and well dressed,” Mr. Fuchs added. “He seemed the same old. I did not think anything about the way he looked. Nothing suggested to me anything different.”
Lori Rotenberk and Dirk Johnson contributed reporting from Moline, Ill.; Christina Capecchi and Sheila Eldred from Minnesota and Susanne Craig and Jeremy B. Merrill from New York.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/princes-entourage-questioned-over-alleged-7814142
Prince's entourage to be questioned over alleged overdose on painkillers during flight
BY ASHLEIGH RAINBIRD , CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN
Everyone aboard the flight on which Prince allegedly suffered an overdose of painkillers days before his death is to be quizzed by police.
Investigators said they want to speak to the singer’s friends, staff and flight crew – as it was claimed he had needed emergency treatment for the same drug used by fierce rival Michael Jackson.
Sources say the 57-year-old took so many Percocet painkillers shortly after performing in Atlanta eight days ago that his condition became critical.
And his team were so fearful for his safety they diverted the Gulfstream jet to Moline, Illinois to get urgent medical attention – despite being only 48 minutes from his home.
At the hospital the pop superstar was reportedly administered a “save shot” normally given in dire circumstances to overdose victims.
Doctors advised Prince would need to be monitored for 24 hours – but when his management failed to secure him a private room they discharged him.
When he left the hospital after just three hours he was described as “not doing well”.
Yet the 5ft 2 inch singer made an appearance at a party in Minnesota the next day, assuring worried fans they should “wait a few days before you waste any prayers”.
A police source said: “We understand Prince suffered chronic pain after developing a hip problem. Naturally he took painkillers to ease his troubles but police are looking into if he was prescribed too many.
“We have seen in the case of Jackson how people can acquire large quantities of drugs when really they should be monitored.”
The autopsy on Prince was completed on Friday and his body was due to be released that night to his family. Results are likely not to be available for some weeks as medics await the outcome of tests.
Percocet contains oxycodone, associated for 30 years with high levels of drug abuse. That is a key component of Oxycontin – one of the drugs most abused by Jackson.
Known as “hillybilly heroin”, it is widely sold illegally.
When police searched Jackson’s home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles after his death, they found massive quantities of opioid-based medication, including Percocet.
Doctors warn the drug is highly addictive and should not be taken in large quantities.
Throughout their careers Prince and Jackson endured a bitter rivalry, feuding for many years.
When the Purple Rain singer pulled out of charity song We Are The World, it was claimed to be because he did not want to appear alongside the King of Pop.
Reports in the US say Prince’s staff did tell medics he had taken the painkillers. Police do not suspect any of the pop star’s entourage of wrongdoing.
Details of the alleged overdose came as photos emerged of him leaving a Walgreens pharmacy the evening before his death.
The music icon was reportedly seen at around 7pm on Wednesday – his fourth visit to the chemist in a week.
He was described as looking “frail and nervous” and “not his usual self”. Less than 15 hours later he was found unconscious in a lift at his Paisley Park estate.
Paramedics were called to the property at 9.43am on Thursday after receiving a frantic 911 from inside.
The caller is said to have told the emergency dispatcher the people inside the house were “distraught” before giving the address as 7801 Paisley Park, adding: “Yes, it’s Prince.”
On Friday thousands of fans continued to arrive at his home to pay their respects. Many left purple flowers, while others wrote messages of love on huge posters tied to the fence.
Brian Keogh, 49, who attended more than 20 concerts inside Paisley Park, said Prince’s loss was “immeasurable”.
He said: “It is a very, very dark day. He was the ultimate performer. I’d receive an email on a Friday about the concerts, then hours later he was right in front of us doing what he did best – entertain.”
Thousands of fans also gathered at the First Avenue club in Minneapolis, where Prince recorded the film version of Purple Rain, while others held vigils across the US, including in Los Angeles and New York.
Dimitri Whitman Sr, who attended Prince’s last Paisley Park gig on Friday, said the star had been in “good, playful spirits”. He said: “I asked how he was feeling. He said fine. My lasting memory will be his smile. He was just so happy.
“He wanted everyone to know he was alive and well. He smiled, he joked and showed off his new guitar.”
And he revealed Prince had played party guests a 30-minute recording of his final gig in Atlanta. Dimitri added: “He said it was to be released as an album. I’m sure that’s up in the air now.”
He said of Prince’s final party night: “He was just partying with his assistant. Some dance parties turn into jumps, others stay as dance parties.
“You may or may not see him walking around. If you do, he’ll normally smile – or even stop for a brief conversation.”
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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/23/arts/music/prince-death-final-days.html
Clues to the Mystery of Prince’s Final Days
By JOHN ELIGON and SERGE F. KOVALESKI
A fence outside Prince’s home in a Minneapolis suburb has become the canvas for a purple-tinged memorial.CreditRenee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune, via Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS — The 1988 Dassault Falcon 900 was about an hour into its flight from Atlanta in the wee hours of Friday, April 15, when the pilot made a distress call to air traffic controllers in Chicago.
There was a medical emergency on board. A male passenger was unresponsive.
And so the Chicago airport officials diverted the flight for an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., just 48 minutes from its intended destination of Minneapolis.
As it turned out, the flight was carrying the musical genius Prince, who, a week later, would be found dead, collapsed in an elevator on the first floor of his suburban Minneapolis compound.
“We had an emergency unscheduled landing at 1:35 a.m. on April 15 for a medical emergency for an unresponsive person,” said Jo Johnson, the human resource manager for Quad Cities International Airport in Moline.
It remains unclear what caused Prince, 57, to become unresponsive on the flight last week. His publicist has attributed the crisis to the fact that the entertainer was “fighting the flu.”
But officials investigating Prince’s sudden death said Friday that the plane’s emergency landing, and what caused it, would be part of their sweeping inquiry.
Prince spent only a few hours at a Moline hospital before his private jet flew home here, and the entertainer resumed life at his compound in nearby Carver County. Just days before his death, he attended a show at a local jazz club, and playfully showed off his new piano and guitar at a party at his studio.
As law enforcement officials await the complete results of an autopsy performed Friday, they said they would be reviewing local pharmaceutical records as part of a broad effort to understand Prince’s full medical history. They declined to comment on reports that Prince had been taking pain medication, saying the investigation was continuing.
“This is a tragedy for all of us,” said Jim Olson, the sheriff of Carver County, where Prince’s estate, Paisley Park, was located in the town of Chanhassen. “To you, Prince Rogers Nelson was a celebrity. To us, he was a community member and a good neighbor.”
Prince was last seen alive at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday evening when someone dropped him off at his estate, where he lived alone, Sheriff Olson said during the afternoon news conference.
Unable to make contact with Prince on Thursday morning, Paisley Park staff members went looking for him in the sprawling compound. They found him unresponsive in an elevator and called 911 at 9:43 a.m., Sheriff Olson said.
“The person is dead here,” a male caller told the dispatcher, according to a transcript of the 911 call. Later, the caller added, “And the people are just distraught.”
Medics responding to the home could not resuscitate Prince, who was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Thursday, Sheriff Olson said. He was not sure, he said, how long Prince, dressed in a shirt and pants, had been collapsed in the elevator.
There were no obvious signs of injuries, and Sheriff Olson said the death was not believed to be a murder or a suicide. Officials said the body had been released to Prince’s family but that it may be weeks before any details from the autopsy are released. Before that, further tests need to be completed and the medical history must be compiled.
There remain many questions around Prince’s health. Sheila E, a friend who collaborated with Prince, said during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the star did have hip problems from his performances onstage. He has said in interviews that he struggled with epilepsy as a child.
The mystery of the end of Prince’s life has left his vast legion of supporters measuring their shock.
As they wait for answers, fans around the world grieved and celebrated his life with the frenetic energy with which Prince lived it — with dance parties and widespread tributes, from social media posts to impromptu Broadway performances.
Here in his hometown, the famed First Avenue dance club held a free overnight dance party from Thursday into Friday, with more scheduled through the weekend. Makeshift memorials popped up outside of the club and in front of Paisley Park.
Billboards encouraged residents to wear purple, a major bridge was lit in the color and a purple orchid with a note that read “Rest In Peace Prince” lay on the four-seat table of the intimate Dakota Jazz Club where Prince sat when he attended a show there on Tuesday.
“It’s a very somber moment here, but his legacy will live on,” Kinneva Brown said as she visited Paisley Park on Friday.
Those who knew him and saw him in his final days said the master showman betrayed no sign that he was near death.
With his Afro picked out, Prince hopped on stage before about 300 revelers last Saturday — the night after his emergency landing in Moline — at one of the pop-up parties he was famous for throwing at Paisley Park. He banged out a quick performance of “Chopsticks” on his new purple piano, Scott Lawrence, who was in attendance with his son, said.
He then broke out a new purple-and-gold Gus Guitar, placing it on the piano and then moving away.
“It’s too cool to open up,” Prince joked, according to Mr. Lawrence.
But the cross-genre star also offered a few accidentally prescient words, Mr. Lawrence recalled.
“Wait a few days before you waste your prayers,” he told the crowd, referring to reports of his medical emergency from the previous day.
Close followers of Prince find it hard to believe that anything sinister could have played into his death. He was a Jehovah’s Witness and obsessively healthy eater. You couldn’t drink, smoke or even curse at his Paisley parties.
“Better eat your cheeseburger before you get to Paisley,” Van Jones, a political commentator and activist who was a friend of Prince’s, said he used to think before visiting Prince.
Last Saturday, Prince stopped by Electric Fetus, a Minneapolis record store, and bought about half a dozen CDs, said Bob Fuchs, the retail manager. Prince had been coming to the store for 30 years, Mr. Fuchs said, and nothing on this visit seemed out of the ordinary.
“Thanks for your support,” Mr. Fuchs recalled telling Prince, referring to something the musician had been helping the store with. “He smiled and said ‘Hello’ and ‘You’re welcome.’”
“He looked very alert and well dressed,” Mr. Fuchs added. “He seemed the same old. I did not think anything about the way he looked. Nothing suggested to me anything different.”
Lori Rotenberk and Dirk Johnson contributed reporting from Moline, Ill.; Christina Capecchi and Sheila Eldred from Minnesota and Susanne Craig and Jeremy B. Merrill from New York.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/princes-entourage-questioned-over-alleged-7814142
Prince's entourage to be questioned over alleged overdose on painkillers during flight
BY ASHLEIGH RAINBIRD , CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN
Everyone aboard the flight on which Prince allegedly suffered an overdose of painkillers days before his death is to be quizzed by police.
Investigators said they want to speak to the singer’s friends, staff and flight crew – as it was claimed he had needed emergency treatment for the same drug used by fierce rival Michael Jackson.
Sources say the 57-year-old took so many Percocet painkillers shortly after performing in Atlanta eight days ago that his condition became critical.
And his team were so fearful for his safety they diverted the Gulfstream jet to Moline, Illinois to get urgent medical attention – despite being only 48 minutes from his home.
At the hospital the pop superstar was reportedly administered a “save shot” normally given in dire circumstances to overdose victims.
Doctors advised Prince would need to be monitored for 24 hours – but when his management failed to secure him a private room they discharged him.
When he left the hospital after just three hours he was described as “not doing well”.
Yet the 5ft 2 inch singer made an appearance at a party in Minnesota the next day, assuring worried fans they should “wait a few days before you waste any prayers”.
A police source said: “We understand Prince suffered chronic pain after developing a hip problem. Naturally he took painkillers to ease his troubles but police are looking into if he was prescribed too many.
“We have seen in the case of Jackson how people can acquire large quantities of drugs when really they should be monitored.”
The autopsy on Prince was completed on Friday and his body was due to be released that night to his family. Results are likely not to be available for some weeks as medics await the outcome of tests.
Percocet contains oxycodone, associated for 30 years with high levels of drug abuse. That is a key component of Oxycontin – one of the drugs most abused by Jackson.
Known as “hillybilly heroin”, it is widely sold illegally.
When police searched Jackson’s home in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles after his death, they found massive quantities of opioid-based medication, including Percocet.
Doctors warn the drug is highly addictive and should not be taken in large quantities.
Throughout their careers Prince and Jackson endured a bitter rivalry, feuding for many years.
When the Purple Rain singer pulled out of charity song We Are The World, it was claimed to be because he did not want to appear alongside the King of Pop.
Reports in the US say Prince’s staff did tell medics he had taken the painkillers. Police do not suspect any of the pop star’s entourage of wrongdoing.
Details of the alleged overdose came as photos emerged of him leaving a Walgreens pharmacy the evening before his death.
The music icon was reportedly seen at around 7pm on Wednesday – his fourth visit to the chemist in a week.
He was described as looking “frail and nervous” and “not his usual self”. Less than 15 hours later he was found unconscious in a lift at his Paisley Park estate.
Paramedics were called to the property at 9.43am on Thursday after receiving a frantic 911 from inside.
The caller is said to have told the emergency dispatcher the people inside the house were “distraught” before giving the address as 7801 Paisley Park, adding: “Yes, it’s Prince.”
On Friday thousands of fans continued to arrive at his home to pay their respects. Many left purple flowers, while others wrote messages of love on huge posters tied to the fence.
Brian Keogh, 49, who attended more than 20 concerts inside Paisley Park, said Prince’s loss was “immeasurable”.
He said: “It is a very, very dark day. He was the ultimate performer. I’d receive an email on a Friday about the concerts, then hours later he was right in front of us doing what he did best – entertain.”
Thousands of fans also gathered at the First Avenue club in Minneapolis, where Prince recorded the film version of Purple Rain, while others held vigils across the US, including in Los Angeles and New York.
Dimitri Whitman Sr, who attended Prince’s last Paisley Park gig on Friday, said the star had been in “good, playful spirits”. He said: “I asked how he was feeling. He said fine. My lasting memory will be his smile. He was just so happy.
“He wanted everyone to know he was alive and well. He smiled, he joked and showed off his new guitar.”
And he revealed Prince had played party guests a 30-minute recording of his final gig in Atlanta. Dimitri added: “He said it was to be released as an album. I’m sure that’s up in the air now.”
He said of Prince’s final party night: “He was just partying with his assistant. Some dance parties turn into jumps, others stay as dance parties.
“You may or may not see him walking around. If you do, he’ll normally smile – or even stop for a brief conversation.”
Damn
Painkillers
I'm priviliged to have some inside information from a friend who is a Moog expert and was good friends with Keith Emerson and I know I can share this with you cause none of those guys are Ram fans - but Keith Emerson suffered from depression and the pills he took when mixed with alchohol can cause you to be suicidal, and that's what he and the family believe happened to him. He took his meds and drank and drank then killed himself
Now not a fan of Prince I'm a huge fan of ELP
Painkillers f'ing suck
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2014
- Messages
- 18,666
- Name
- Dave
I never was a Fan, BUT, My wife pointed out to me he wrote a lot of "Big" hit songs for a lot of "BIG Stars!" using Names other than his own!
It was on CBS!
Mackeyser
Supernovas are where gold forms; the only place.
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2013
- Messages
- 14,435
- Name
- Mack
My best friend wanted to be an audio engineer and introduced me to Prince with his first album. I saw him standing there in that trench coat and briefs and I was like, "oh, hell no." But he put that album on and I just couldn't deny what I heard.
We used to pool our records so we wouldn't have dupes because in those days, we'd buy the albums and to preserve the vinyl, we'd record the virgin play onto a Maxell Metal tape. Was really expensive, but we still have all that pristine vinyl from those days... Well, he does. I gave him all of mine.
He's understandably devastated. I didn't think it would tear me up as much as it is.
What really got me was watching Prince perform Purple Rain during the 2008 Super Bowl halftime show...in the pouring rain on the stage in the shape of his symbol. Just...EPIC.
Oh, and him playing American Woman with Lenny Kravitz is pretty amazing, too...
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2014
- Messages
- 20,922
- Name
- Peter
Are you sure that wasn't Aqualung?
Yeah, I gave away most of my vinyl as well.
My main interest in artists like Prince, Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, and Paul McCartney is because they've all recorded albums where they played all the instruments. That's what I "attempt" to do while recording at home. It's extremely difficult to do that well. My guess is that Prince did most everything himself on his first few albums. The man was one of a kind.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2014
- Messages
- 20,922
- Name
- Peter
No way to know if this is a load of crap or if this guy is telling the truth. Lots of these types come out of the woodwork after something like this, so take it with a grain of salt. It does however sound eerily like what happened to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
Click the link below to read about the drug Dilaudid.
http://www.drugs.com/dilaudid.html
**********************************************************************************************
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...mer-drug-dealer-reveals-extent-addiction.html
Prince's former drug dealer tells how the legend spent $40,000 at a time on six-month supplies of Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches - highly addictive opioid pain killers - for 25 years
By RYAN PARRY IN CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA and EMMA FOSTER IN COACHELLA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA and MARTIN GOULD IN CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA, FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Prince's former drug dealer has revealed the full extent of the late-star's secret drug addiction - telling how the superstar was hooked on powerful opiates for over 25 years.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Online, the performer's long-time dealer - who asked to be named only as Doctor D - revealed the singer would spend up to $40,000 a time on six-month supplies of Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches - both highly addictive opioid pain killers.
Prince, who was found dead on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was secretly cremated in an intimate ceremony at a nondescript funeral home in Minneapolis shortly after an autopsy was completed on Friday, Radar reports.
Prince's sister Tyka Nelson and another family member reportedly spent a few minutes saying goodbye at the First Memorial Waterston Chapel before the musician was cremated.
His death came just days after sources claimed he overdosed on the opiate Percocet.
Doctor D said the musician, who he described as 'majorly addicted', regularly bought drugs from him between 1984 and 2008.
The dealer, often to the stars, said Prince suffered crippling stage fright and could not get on stage and perform without the drugs - but had a phobia of doctors so could not obtain a prescription legally.
Tragically, Doctor D suggests it could have been a physician that unknowingly contributed to Prince's death - by prescribing strong pain killers to the singer for his hip condition without knowing the extent of his secret opiate addiction.
He said: 'I first met Prince in 1984 while he was filming the movie Purple Rain and he was already majorly addicted to opiates - I didn't hook him on drugs he was already a really heavy user.
'In the beginning he would buy speed as well as Dilaudid.
'I would sell him black beauties which were a black pill and cross tops which were also speed pills.
'He would use that as a counter balance to get back up again from taking opiates.
'That lasted for a couple of years then he would just buy Dilaudid, which is a heroin based opiate. It is highly addictive.
'As far as I knew he never took heroin - as that would leave you out of it for days whereas Dilaudid gives you an energy buzz as well as making you feel relaxed - so he preferred it.
'He needed the drugs because he was so nervous - he could be nervous in a room with just five people in it.
'He was scared to go out in public, he was scared to talk to people and didn't like to go on stage - he had the worst case of stage fright I'd ever seen.
'A lot of performers rely on drugs to make them feel confident on stage but he was by far the worse.
'Plus he was always paranoid about doctors so he wouldn't ask them for help - he had a phobia of them.
'I was surprised when I heard he had been picking up prescriptions before he died.'
Prince made several trips to a Walgreens pharmacy in the days before he died and was even photographed outside the store hours before he was pronounced dead.
It is not known whether he was picking up Percocet or any other prescription. And according to sources, Prince was treated by doctors for a Percocet overdose just six days before he died.
The 57-year-old's private plane had to make an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, on April 15, so he could be rushed to hospital.
Doctors there had to administer a 'save shot' - an emergency injection usually administered in dire circumstances to drug overdose victims, TMZ reported.
An autopsy was conducted on Friday and Prince's body was released to his family. However, authorities said it could be weeks before the cause of death is released.
Meanwhile, an expert on Saturday, said his death is likely to have been the result of a drug overdose.
Cyril Wecht, a forensic pathologist who is not linked to the case, told NBC's TODAY: 'I would give overwhelming odds that, tragically, this is a drug death.'
He said: 'When you rule out foul play, when there is no history of any kind of significant disease, when you rule out any kind of intervention, anything of an environmental nature, you come down to an autopsy that is essentially negative and that probably means drugs.'
Wecht said the emergency landing of Prince's private jet lends further merit to the idea that his death was due to drugs.
'I cannot think of any medical or pathological condition that fits that kind of scenario, with incredible ups and downs, other than drugs,' he added.
Doctor D - who has built up a vast knowledge of opioid pain killers over the years - believes that if indeed Prince was being prescribed Percocet by doctors - the combination of Tylenol and opiates in the drug may have killed him.
'If Prince was just taking Dilaudid he would still be alive,' he said.
'It has less side effects than other opiate drugs such as Percocet but doctors don't like to prescribe it because it's one of the heaviest drugs.
'The problem with Percocet is that it is an opiate mixed with Tylenol - but he would have been taking much more than the recommended dose because he had developed a tolerance to opiates over the years.
'When you take that much Tylenol it can cause major problems - especially with your kidneys.
'But doctors would have freaked out if they knew the extent of Prince's drug problem and wouldn't know what to do.
'He self medicated for years and was fine - so it wouldn't have been the opiates that killed him but the Tylenol.
'So perversely the doctors who thought they were helping him may have hurt him by prescribing Percocet.
'Also if they did have to give him a save shot when he overdosed like everybody is saying - that removes all traces of drugs from your system so he would have started to go into withdrawal and would have had to take a lot of drugs to feel okay again - which also could have killed him.
'You can't just stop taking these drugs when you have taken them for so long.
'But without knowing his drug history doctors wouldn't have known that.
'It explains why he was spotted looking nervous and pacing around at the pharmacy in the week before his death.'
Doctor D, originally from Los Angeles but now based in the Coachella Valley area, California, first met Prince while working as part of the road crew at a concert.
He soon became his dealer of choice whenever he was in the Los Angeles area.
Prince would hire him to work backstage at gigs so he could have a constant supply of drugs without arousing any suspicion from those around him.
Doctor D said he watched him develop a major tolerance to the drugs over the years - regularly taking two to three times the recommended dose.
He also began to use patches of Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approximately 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 40 to 50 times more potent than heroin.
The patches are worn like nicotine patches and provide a 72 hour constant release of the drug through the skin into the blood stream.
'He would wear the patch as well as taking the Dilaudid - so it's the equivalent of smoking while you have a nicotine patch on,' Doctor D explained.
'It's like having a constant supply of drugs - they sell for about $200-300 per patch.
'They come in boxes of five and I would sell Prince 20 boxes at a time.
'You can also smoke them but I only saw him do that once.
'You smoke it similar to a crack pipe or something like that - you burn the patch and suck the fumes through a straw.
'It gives you an instant, intense hit.
'He'd buy large supplies of both drugs - I think the most he ever spent was around $40,000 at one time.
'I'd say in general his habit was costing him about $2-300 a day but that didn't matter to him as he had plenty of money - he never ran out.'
Doctor D said apart from the one time he saw him smoke a Fentanyl patch, Prince's drug use was limited to popping pills, which enabled him to keep his drug use out of the public eye.
'He was always a pill man - that's why nobody ever saw him do drugs,' he said.
'He never smoked or shot up, or snorted cocaine.
'He was always functional too - I never saw him out of it or strung out because I always provided him with what he needed and he would buy in bulk so he was always prepared.
'At the time I was dealing other drugs too but he never asked for anything else.
'He wasn't really a party guy either, he was doing these drugs so he could feel at ease around people.
'When I knew him he didn't have any health problems that I knew about - he was taking the drugs because he needed them to cope not because he was in pain.
'In fact he always seemed very healthy - he didn't drink as far as I know and he would always eat salads.
'One time he was eating a salad and a skinless chicken breast with no dressing and I commented about how healthy he was.
'He turned to me and said, 'If I didn't watch my food I probably wouldn't last that long'. I think it was his way of counteracting all the drugs he was taking.'
Prince's drug use would increase around stressful times of his life - such as around big shows or when his fame would rise or plummet, according to Doctor D.
He bought extra large supplies before his famous performances at the Miami Superbowl in 2007 and before his 2008 Coachella appearance.
'I remember when he was filming Purple Rain he was buying a lot of drugs - I think it was nerve wracking for him to have to perform in front of cameras and people every day so he needed the drugs,' Doctor D revealed.
'It was an exciting time for him he was on top of the world - he was like God.
'But as that fame increased the less at ease he was with people and the more he needed drugs.
'Then at other times when his fame lessened - he'd turn to drugs too.
'It's like he was afraid of the fame but then when it was gone he'd miss it and crave it.
'He would always buy a lot of drugs around his big shows - like when he played the Superbowl in Miami in 2007 he came to see me right before.
'He actually wanted to put me on payroll to work for him - so he could get what he wanted whenever he wanted - but I said no because I didn't want to go out to Miami.
'I sold him a six month supply and he used a lot of it just to get out on stage.
'It was the biggest show he ever did and it freaked him out - not only was he playing to thousands in the stadium but millions live on TV. He was nervous.'
Doctor D said that the religious star - who converted to the Jehovah's Witness faith in 2001 - would often talk about God during their meetings.
He would even try to convert the drug dealer and invited him to religious gatherings.
'We were never close friends - I was his drug dealer that's it,' Doctor D said.
'We got along well he was a nice guy - I wouldn't say anything bad about him.
'He never confided in me about his love life or anything but he often used to preach about God to me.
'Maybe it was a form of guilt - I think he felt guilty he was buying drugs from a drug dealer so he'd start conversing about God and the Spirit.
'He'd say, 'You know there's only one God and we're all here for a reason - to serve God.'
'And he'd say, 'We have to be good people it's important that we try to be good people,' he had a thing about being a good person.
'He asked me to go to meetings with him - I'm not sure exactly what kind of meetings they were - but it was some kind of religious thing.
'You learn when you're selling drugs to someone just to listen and go along with them.
'I'd pretend I'd go to the meeting and then next time I saw him I'd just be like 'oh no sorry I couldn't make it.
'That's all he really talked about.'
Doctor D also said the drugs he supplied transformed Prince's personality.
'He didn't have much of a personality off the stage to be honest. Like a lot of these stars he needed the drugs to get the personality.
'He'd go from boring, mellow, nothing special and suddenly be transformed into this amazing performer once he had the drugs.'
Doctor D, who declined to answer when asked if he was still a drug dealer and took precautions not to be identified, last saw Prince in 2008 before his Coachella performance - and sold him a six month supply of drugs.
After that the star, who was then living in Minnesota, rarely came back to California and Doctor D, never heard from him again.
'He was really nervous before the Coachella show,' he recalled.
'It was a big deal at the time but I think it was too much for him because he ended up canceling some other shows after that.
'I had to give him a lot before that performance - he took more than I'd ever seen him take before.
'I sold him a six month supply at that festival - maybe even more.
'At that point in his life he just did not want to get on stage - he was nervous.
'But watching the show - you'd never know. It was great, the songs were amazing, he looked good.
'I never heard from him after that - I don't think he came back to the area much.
'He was such a heavy drug user he must have got another drug dealer up in Minnesota.'
'DRUG STORE HEROIN': ELVIS WAS ALSO LINKED TO DILAUDID
Prescription drug addict Elvis Presley was another superstar linked to Dilaudid after his death.
The opiate, often nicknamed 'drug store heroin' and officially known as hydromorphone, was Elvis' favorite drug.
Dilaudid, said to be two to eight times more potent than morphine, was used by The King to boost his energy levels before a performance.
While the narcotic was not found among the many drugs discovered in Elvis' system after he died, he was quoted in the book 'Elvis: The Final Years' as telling the wife of Red West, a member of his inner circle, 'I've tried them all, honey, and believe me, Dilaudid is the best.'
Elvis Presley died on 16 August, 1977. At the time of his death, he was suffering from glaucoma, high blood pressure, liver damage and an enlarged colon.
All of these ailments were aggravated, if not caused, by drug abuse.
Click the link below to read about the drug Dilaudid.
http://www.drugs.com/dilaudid.html
**********************************************************************************************
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...mer-drug-dealer-reveals-extent-addiction.html
Prince's former drug dealer tells how the legend spent $40,000 at a time on six-month supplies of Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches - highly addictive opioid pain killers - for 25 years
By RYAN PARRY IN CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA and EMMA FOSTER IN COACHELLA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA and MARTIN GOULD IN CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA, FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Prince's former drug dealer has revealed the full extent of the late-star's secret drug addiction - telling how the superstar was hooked on powerful opiates for over 25 years.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Online, the performer's long-time dealer - who asked to be named only as Doctor D - revealed the singer would spend up to $40,000 a time on six-month supplies of Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches - both highly addictive opioid pain killers.
Prince, who was found dead on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was secretly cremated in an intimate ceremony at a nondescript funeral home in Minneapolis shortly after an autopsy was completed on Friday, Radar reports.
Prince's sister Tyka Nelson and another family member reportedly spent a few minutes saying goodbye at the First Memorial Waterston Chapel before the musician was cremated.
His death came just days after sources claimed he overdosed on the opiate Percocet.
Doctor D said the musician, who he described as 'majorly addicted', regularly bought drugs from him between 1984 and 2008.
The dealer, often to the stars, said Prince suffered crippling stage fright and could not get on stage and perform without the drugs - but had a phobia of doctors so could not obtain a prescription legally.
Tragically, Doctor D suggests it could have been a physician that unknowingly contributed to Prince's death - by prescribing strong pain killers to the singer for his hip condition without knowing the extent of his secret opiate addiction.
He said: 'I first met Prince in 1984 while he was filming the movie Purple Rain and he was already majorly addicted to opiates - I didn't hook him on drugs he was already a really heavy user.
'In the beginning he would buy speed as well as Dilaudid.
'I would sell him black beauties which were a black pill and cross tops which were also speed pills.
'He would use that as a counter balance to get back up again from taking opiates.
'That lasted for a couple of years then he would just buy Dilaudid, which is a heroin based opiate. It is highly addictive.
'As far as I knew he never took heroin - as that would leave you out of it for days whereas Dilaudid gives you an energy buzz as well as making you feel relaxed - so he preferred it.
'He needed the drugs because he was so nervous - he could be nervous in a room with just five people in it.
'He was scared to go out in public, he was scared to talk to people and didn't like to go on stage - he had the worst case of stage fright I'd ever seen.
'A lot of performers rely on drugs to make them feel confident on stage but he was by far the worse.
'Plus he was always paranoid about doctors so he wouldn't ask them for help - he had a phobia of them.
'I was surprised when I heard he had been picking up prescriptions before he died.'
Prince made several trips to a Walgreens pharmacy in the days before he died and was even photographed outside the store hours before he was pronounced dead.
It is not known whether he was picking up Percocet or any other prescription. And according to sources, Prince was treated by doctors for a Percocet overdose just six days before he died.
The 57-year-old's private plane had to make an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, on April 15, so he could be rushed to hospital.
Doctors there had to administer a 'save shot' - an emergency injection usually administered in dire circumstances to drug overdose victims, TMZ reported.
An autopsy was conducted on Friday and Prince's body was released to his family. However, authorities said it could be weeks before the cause of death is released.
Meanwhile, an expert on Saturday, said his death is likely to have been the result of a drug overdose.
Cyril Wecht, a forensic pathologist who is not linked to the case, told NBC's TODAY: 'I would give overwhelming odds that, tragically, this is a drug death.'
He said: 'When you rule out foul play, when there is no history of any kind of significant disease, when you rule out any kind of intervention, anything of an environmental nature, you come down to an autopsy that is essentially negative and that probably means drugs.'
Wecht said the emergency landing of Prince's private jet lends further merit to the idea that his death was due to drugs.
'I cannot think of any medical or pathological condition that fits that kind of scenario, with incredible ups and downs, other than drugs,' he added.
Doctor D - who has built up a vast knowledge of opioid pain killers over the years - believes that if indeed Prince was being prescribed Percocet by doctors - the combination of Tylenol and opiates in the drug may have killed him.
'If Prince was just taking Dilaudid he would still be alive,' he said.
'It has less side effects than other opiate drugs such as Percocet but doctors don't like to prescribe it because it's one of the heaviest drugs.
'The problem with Percocet is that it is an opiate mixed with Tylenol - but he would have been taking much more than the recommended dose because he had developed a tolerance to opiates over the years.
'When you take that much Tylenol it can cause major problems - especially with your kidneys.
'But doctors would have freaked out if they knew the extent of Prince's drug problem and wouldn't know what to do.
'He self medicated for years and was fine - so it wouldn't have been the opiates that killed him but the Tylenol.
'So perversely the doctors who thought they were helping him may have hurt him by prescribing Percocet.
'Also if they did have to give him a save shot when he overdosed like everybody is saying - that removes all traces of drugs from your system so he would have started to go into withdrawal and would have had to take a lot of drugs to feel okay again - which also could have killed him.
'You can't just stop taking these drugs when you have taken them for so long.
'But without knowing his drug history doctors wouldn't have known that.
'It explains why he was spotted looking nervous and pacing around at the pharmacy in the week before his death.'
Doctor D, originally from Los Angeles but now based in the Coachella Valley area, California, first met Prince while working as part of the road crew at a concert.
He soon became his dealer of choice whenever he was in the Los Angeles area.
Prince would hire him to work backstage at gigs so he could have a constant supply of drugs without arousing any suspicion from those around him.
Doctor D said he watched him develop a major tolerance to the drugs over the years - regularly taking two to three times the recommended dose.
He also began to use patches of Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approximately 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine and 40 to 50 times more potent than heroin.
The patches are worn like nicotine patches and provide a 72 hour constant release of the drug through the skin into the blood stream.
'He would wear the patch as well as taking the Dilaudid - so it's the equivalent of smoking while you have a nicotine patch on,' Doctor D explained.
'It's like having a constant supply of drugs - they sell for about $200-300 per patch.
'They come in boxes of five and I would sell Prince 20 boxes at a time.
'You can also smoke them but I only saw him do that once.
'You smoke it similar to a crack pipe or something like that - you burn the patch and suck the fumes through a straw.
'It gives you an instant, intense hit.
'He'd buy large supplies of both drugs - I think the most he ever spent was around $40,000 at one time.
'I'd say in general his habit was costing him about $2-300 a day but that didn't matter to him as he had plenty of money - he never ran out.'
Doctor D said apart from the one time he saw him smoke a Fentanyl patch, Prince's drug use was limited to popping pills, which enabled him to keep his drug use out of the public eye.
'He was always a pill man - that's why nobody ever saw him do drugs,' he said.
'He never smoked or shot up, or snorted cocaine.
'He was always functional too - I never saw him out of it or strung out because I always provided him with what he needed and he would buy in bulk so he was always prepared.
'At the time I was dealing other drugs too but he never asked for anything else.
'He wasn't really a party guy either, he was doing these drugs so he could feel at ease around people.
'When I knew him he didn't have any health problems that I knew about - he was taking the drugs because he needed them to cope not because he was in pain.
'In fact he always seemed very healthy - he didn't drink as far as I know and he would always eat salads.
'One time he was eating a salad and a skinless chicken breast with no dressing and I commented about how healthy he was.
'He turned to me and said, 'If I didn't watch my food I probably wouldn't last that long'. I think it was his way of counteracting all the drugs he was taking.'
Prince's drug use would increase around stressful times of his life - such as around big shows or when his fame would rise or plummet, according to Doctor D.
He bought extra large supplies before his famous performances at the Miami Superbowl in 2007 and before his 2008 Coachella appearance.
'I remember when he was filming Purple Rain he was buying a lot of drugs - I think it was nerve wracking for him to have to perform in front of cameras and people every day so he needed the drugs,' Doctor D revealed.
'It was an exciting time for him he was on top of the world - he was like God.
'But as that fame increased the less at ease he was with people and the more he needed drugs.
'Then at other times when his fame lessened - he'd turn to drugs too.
'It's like he was afraid of the fame but then when it was gone he'd miss it and crave it.
'He would always buy a lot of drugs around his big shows - like when he played the Superbowl in Miami in 2007 he came to see me right before.
'He actually wanted to put me on payroll to work for him - so he could get what he wanted whenever he wanted - but I said no because I didn't want to go out to Miami.
'I sold him a six month supply and he used a lot of it just to get out on stage.
'It was the biggest show he ever did and it freaked him out - not only was he playing to thousands in the stadium but millions live on TV. He was nervous.'
Doctor D said that the religious star - who converted to the Jehovah's Witness faith in 2001 - would often talk about God during their meetings.
He would even try to convert the drug dealer and invited him to religious gatherings.
'We were never close friends - I was his drug dealer that's it,' Doctor D said.
'We got along well he was a nice guy - I wouldn't say anything bad about him.
'He never confided in me about his love life or anything but he often used to preach about God to me.
'Maybe it was a form of guilt - I think he felt guilty he was buying drugs from a drug dealer so he'd start conversing about God and the Spirit.
'He'd say, 'You know there's only one God and we're all here for a reason - to serve God.'
'And he'd say, 'We have to be good people it's important that we try to be good people,' he had a thing about being a good person.
'He asked me to go to meetings with him - I'm not sure exactly what kind of meetings they were - but it was some kind of religious thing.
'You learn when you're selling drugs to someone just to listen and go along with them.
'I'd pretend I'd go to the meeting and then next time I saw him I'd just be like 'oh no sorry I couldn't make it.
'That's all he really talked about.'
Doctor D also said the drugs he supplied transformed Prince's personality.
'He didn't have much of a personality off the stage to be honest. Like a lot of these stars he needed the drugs to get the personality.
'He'd go from boring, mellow, nothing special and suddenly be transformed into this amazing performer once he had the drugs.'
Doctor D, who declined to answer when asked if he was still a drug dealer and took precautions not to be identified, last saw Prince in 2008 before his Coachella performance - and sold him a six month supply of drugs.
After that the star, who was then living in Minnesota, rarely came back to California and Doctor D, never heard from him again.
'He was really nervous before the Coachella show,' he recalled.
'It was a big deal at the time but I think it was too much for him because he ended up canceling some other shows after that.
'I had to give him a lot before that performance - he took more than I'd ever seen him take before.
'I sold him a six month supply at that festival - maybe even more.
'At that point in his life he just did not want to get on stage - he was nervous.
'But watching the show - you'd never know. It was great, the songs were amazing, he looked good.
'I never heard from him after that - I don't think he came back to the area much.
'He was such a heavy drug user he must have got another drug dealer up in Minnesota.'
'DRUG STORE HEROIN': ELVIS WAS ALSO LINKED TO DILAUDID
Prescription drug addict Elvis Presley was another superstar linked to Dilaudid after his death.
The opiate, often nicknamed 'drug store heroin' and officially known as hydromorphone, was Elvis' favorite drug.
Dilaudid, said to be two to eight times more potent than morphine, was used by The King to boost his energy levels before a performance.
While the narcotic was not found among the many drugs discovered in Elvis' system after he died, he was quoted in the book 'Elvis: The Final Years' as telling the wife of Red West, a member of his inner circle, 'I've tried them all, honey, and believe me, Dilaudid is the best.'
Elvis Presley died on 16 August, 1977. At the time of his death, he was suffering from glaucoma, high blood pressure, liver damage and an enlarged colon.
All of these ailments were aggravated, if not caused, by drug abuse.
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http://www.aol.com/article/2016/06/02/report-prince-died-of-an-opioid-overdose/21388361/
Test results have revealed Prince died of an opioid overdose, AP reported on Thursday, according to a law-enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The singer, 57, was found dead at his Minnesota home on April 21.
Officials are also investigating whether a doctor had been prescribing the "Purple Rain" singer drugs in the weeks leading up to his death.
Test results have revealed Prince died of an opioid overdose, AP reported on Thursday, according to a law-enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The singer, 57, was found dead at his Minnesota home on April 21.
Officials are also investigating whether a doctor had been prescribing the "Purple Rain" singer drugs in the weeks leading up to his death.
LesBaker
Mr. Savant
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- Les
Huge ELP fan here too.........maybe my favorite and I still listen all the time, in the gym, car wherever. When news broke I couldn't for a day though. I was horrified.
LesBaker
Mr. Savant
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- Les
One of the best album covers of the 80's.
Prince wrote most of the songs on this album and played most of the instruments by the way.
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http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/06/02/prince-autopsy-death-toxicology/
Autopsy: Prince Died Of Overdose Of Fentanyl
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — Autopsy results show that Prince died of a self-administered overdose of Fentanyl, and his death was ruled accidental.
The 57-year-old singer was found dead April 21 at his Minneapolis-area estate. The findings confirm suspicions that opioids played a role in the musician’s death.
After he died, authorities began reviewing whether an overdose was to blame and whether he had been prescribed drugs in the preceding weeks.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Fentanyl is more potent than morphine, and is “sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates.”
The autopsy report released by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office listed his weight at the time of death as 112 pounds.
View: https://twitter.com/MidwestMedExam/status/738437445327282180/photo/1
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/fentanyl
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates. It is a schedule II prescription drug.
In its prescription form, fentanyl is known as Actiq, Duragesic, and Sublimaze. Street names for the drug include Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever, friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT, as well as Tango and Cash.
Like heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, fentanyl works by binding to the body's opiate receptors, highly concentrated in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions. When opiate drugs bind to these receptors, they can drive up dopamine levels in the brain's reward areas, producing a state of euphoria and relaxation. Medications called opiate receptor antagonists act by blocking the effects of opiate drugs. Naloxone is one such antagonist. Overdoses of fentanyl should be treated immediately with an opiate antagonist.
When prescribed by a physician, fentanyl is often administered via injection, transdermal patch, or in lozenge form. However, the type of fentanyl associated with recent overdoses was produced in clandestine laboratories and mixed with (or substituted for) heroin in a powder form.
Mixing fentanyl with street-sold heroin or cocaine markedly amplifies their potency and potential dangers. Effects include: euphoria, drowsiness/respiratory depression and arrest, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, unconsciousness, coma, tolerance, and addiction.
An attorney said Prince had agreed to an intervention for painkiller addiction the day before he died.
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 an Atlanta concert. The Associated Press and other media reported, based on anonymous sources, that Prince was found unconscious on the plane, and first responders gave him a shot of Narcan, an antidote used in suspected opioid overdoses.
At least two doctors’ names have come up in the death investigation being conducted by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg, a family practitioner, treated Prince twice in the weeks before his death and told investigators he prescribed medications for the singer. The medications were not specified in a search warrant for the Minnesota hospital that employed Schulenberg at the time.
Schulenberg saw Prince April 7 and April 20 — the day before his death — according to the warrant. Schulenberg’s attorney has declined to comment on the case.
Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a California addiction specialist, was asked by Prince’s representatives on April 20 to help the singer.
Kornfeld sent his son Andrew on a redeye flight that night, and Andrew was among the people who found Prince’s unresponsive body the next morning, according to Kornfeld’s attorney, William Mauzy.
The younger Kornfeld, who is not a doctor, was carrying buprenorphine, a medication that can be used to treat opioid addiction by easing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, Mauzy said, explaining that Andrew Kornfeld intended to give the medication to a Minnesota doctor who had cleared his schedule to see Prince on April 21.
Mauzy has refused to identify that doctor. Schulenberg is not authorized to prescribe buprenorphine.
Prince’s death came two weeks after he canceled concerts in Atlanta, saying he wasn’t feeling well. He played a pair of makeup shows April 14 in that city, and then came the emergency landing in Moline. He was scheduled to perform two shows in St. Louis but canceled them shortly before his death.
The superstar had a reputation for clean living, and some friends said they never saw any sign of drug use. But longtime friend and collaborator Sheila E. has told the AP that Prince had physical issues from performing, citing hip and knee problems that she said came from years of jumping off risers and stage speakers in heels.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 61 percent of drug overdoses involved opioids, including heroin, in 2014. Officials also say the age-adjusted death rate from synthetic opioids, like Fentanyl, went up 80 percent from 2013 to 2-14.
According to the report, released on Jan. 1, a record number of people died of drug overdoses in 2014 and the largest increase in death rate involved synthetic painkillers, like Fentanyl.
Autopsy: Prince Died Of Overdose Of Fentanyl
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — Autopsy results show that Prince died of a self-administered overdose of Fentanyl, and his death was ruled accidental.
The 57-year-old singer was found dead April 21 at his Minneapolis-area estate. The findings confirm suspicions that opioids played a role in the musician’s death.
After he died, authorities began reviewing whether an overdose was to blame and whether he had been prescribed drugs in the preceding weeks.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Fentanyl is more potent than morphine, and is “sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates.”
The autopsy report released by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office listed his weight at the time of death as 112 pounds.
View: https://twitter.com/MidwestMedExam/status/738437445327282180/photo/1
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/fentanyl
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates. It is a schedule II prescription drug.
In its prescription form, fentanyl is known as Actiq, Duragesic, and Sublimaze. Street names for the drug include Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever, friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT, as well as Tango and Cash.
Like heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, fentanyl works by binding to the body's opiate receptors, highly concentrated in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions. When opiate drugs bind to these receptors, they can drive up dopamine levels in the brain's reward areas, producing a state of euphoria and relaxation. Medications called opiate receptor antagonists act by blocking the effects of opiate drugs. Naloxone is one such antagonist. Overdoses of fentanyl should be treated immediately with an opiate antagonist.
When prescribed by a physician, fentanyl is often administered via injection, transdermal patch, or in lozenge form. However, the type of fentanyl associated with recent overdoses was produced in clandestine laboratories and mixed with (or substituted for) heroin in a powder form.
Mixing fentanyl with street-sold heroin or cocaine markedly amplifies their potency and potential dangers. Effects include: euphoria, drowsiness/respiratory depression and arrest, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, unconsciousness, coma, tolerance, and addiction.
An attorney said Prince had agreed to an intervention for painkiller addiction the day before he died.
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 an Atlanta concert. The Associated Press and other media reported, based on anonymous sources, that Prince was found unconscious on the plane, and first responders gave him a shot of Narcan, an antidote used in suspected opioid overdoses.
At least two doctors’ names have come up in the death investigation being conducted by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg, a family practitioner, treated Prince twice in the weeks before his death and told investigators he prescribed medications for the singer. The medications were not specified in a search warrant for the Minnesota hospital that employed Schulenberg at the time.
Schulenberg saw Prince April 7 and April 20 — the day before his death — according to the warrant. Schulenberg’s attorney has declined to comment on the case.
Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a California addiction specialist, was asked by Prince’s representatives on April 20 to help the singer.
Kornfeld sent his son Andrew on a redeye flight that night, and Andrew was among the people who found Prince’s unresponsive body the next morning, according to Kornfeld’s attorney, William Mauzy.
The younger Kornfeld, who is not a doctor, was carrying buprenorphine, a medication that can be used to treat opioid addiction by easing cravings and withdrawal symptoms, Mauzy said, explaining that Andrew Kornfeld intended to give the medication to a Minnesota doctor who had cleared his schedule to see Prince on April 21.
Mauzy has refused to identify that doctor. Schulenberg is not authorized to prescribe buprenorphine.
Prince’s death came two weeks after he canceled concerts in Atlanta, saying he wasn’t feeling well. He played a pair of makeup shows April 14 in that city, and then came the emergency landing in Moline. He was scheduled to perform two shows in St. Louis but canceled them shortly before his death.
The superstar had a reputation for clean living, and some friends said they never saw any sign of drug use. But longtime friend and collaborator Sheila E. has told the AP that Prince had physical issues from performing, citing hip and knee problems that she said came from years of jumping off risers and stage speakers in heels.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 61 percent of drug overdoses involved opioids, including heroin, in 2014. Officials also say the age-adjusted death rate from synthetic opioids, like Fentanyl, went up 80 percent from 2013 to 2-14.
According to the report, released on Jan. 1, a record number of people died of drug overdoses in 2014 and the largest increase in death rate involved synthetic painkillers, like Fentanyl.
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Just sad.
Cant say more than that
Cant say more than that
LesBaker
Mr. Savant
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- Aug 23, 2012
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- Les
Thousands of people are dying from opioids every year. In 2014 it was a staggering number...........this is from a CNN article in 2015
Last year, 47,055 people died from drug overdoses -- 1.5 times greater than the number killed in car crashes. Opioids are involved in 61% of all drug overdose deaths.
Crazy shit.
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- Peter