Investigators are examining whether Prince died of an overdose, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press on Thursday, April 28. The official also told the news agency that investigators are probing whether a doctor was prescribing drugs to the late icon prior to his April 21 death.
The news comes after federal law enforcement officials told NBC News on Wednesday, April 27, that the “Purple Rain” singer was found with prescription painkillers in his possession and in his home when he died.
The official also told the AP Thursday that investigators are looking into what kinds of drugs the award-winning musician had.
As previously reported, the legendary artist was found dead inside an elevator at his Paisley Park studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on the morning of April 21. He was 57. An autopsy was completed on Friday, April 22, but the results are still pending.
"We're continuing to investigate the circumstances of Prince's death," Jason Kamerud, the chief deputy of the Carver County Sheriff's Office, tells Us Weekly Thursday. "The [medical examiner] will provide toxicology results with her findings." Results are expected in a few weeks.
Sheriff Jim Olson said during an April 22 press conference that authorities don't suspect suicide, and that there were "no signs" of trauma on the legendary musician's body. He also noted that medical personnel did not administer Narcan, an emergency treatment used to reverse drug overdoses, when they responded to the 911 call originating from Paisley Park.
As TMZ first reported and which the law enforcement official confirmed to the AP Thursday, the "1999" singer's private plane made an emergency landing in Illinois on April 15, hours after he performed in Atlanta. According to the official, the plane was on the runway when medics administered Narcan to Prince, who was found unconscious. Now, investigators are looking into whether the musician OD'd on the aircraft.
TMZ also reported earlier this month that Prince had allegedly overdosed on the painkiller Percocet when the plane made its unscheduled stop on its way back to Minnesota. According to the outlet, the influential musician had been prescribed the drug following a 2010 hip surgery.
Sheila E., the musician's former fiancee, previously told the AP that he suffered from hip and knee problems that resulted from the performer jumping off speakers and risers while wearing heels.
Prince's remains have since been cremated, and his family held a private memorial in his honor on Saturday, April 23.
