Probe finds Prince died of opioid painkiller overdose

NEW YORK: Pop legend Prince died from an overdose of painkillers, a report said Thursday quoting the ongoing investigation.

The Star Tribune newspaper in Prince's hometown Minneapolis quoted an anonymous source as saying that the singer had overdosed on opioid pain medication.

#Breaking: Prince died from opioid overdose https://t.co/2ZFR1R6aEw pic.twitter.com/dOMnFFk6rV

— The Minnesota Star Tribune (@StarTribune) June 2, 2016

Officials declined comment and said that there were no plans to release Prince's autopsy findings on Thursday.

The 57-year-old "Purple Rain" star was found dead at his Paisley Park estate outside Minneapolis on April 21, days after his plane made an emergency landing that was also reportedly due to a painkiller overdose.



A California doctor who treats painkiller addiction, Howard Kornfeld, had been urgently making plans to treat Prince when the artist died, the specialist's lawyer said last month.

Kornfeld's son Andrew had arrived at Paisley Park to explain the treatment to Prince when he discovered his lifeless body and called the 911 emergency line for help.

Prince had appeared to be healthy to the public and was famous for his marathon performances in which he would play for hours or put on two shows in a night.

But Prince underwent hip surgery in 2010 and was famously private about his personal life.