Music megastar Prince’s shocking April 21 death followed an accidental overdose of the prescription opiate fentanyl, according to an autopsy report released Thursday.
The 5-foot-2 rocker weighed just 112 pounds when he collapsed inside an elevator at the home studio located inside his Paisley Park estate, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office report indicated.
The fatal dose of fentanyl was self-administered by the 57-year-old platinum-selling singer/songwriter.
Prince was wearing a black cap, black shirt, black pants and black socks when his body was discovered by two friends and a man summoned to help the Purple One treat his escalating drug use.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate often used to treat patients suffering from chronic pain. The single-page autopsy report did not list any other drugs found in his system.
After his death, friends suggested Prince had battled severe hip pain since his high-heeled days on the “Purple Rain” tour.
The release of the toxicology results came six weeks after Prince’s death. A four-hour autopsy followed a day after he died, with the singer’s remains cremated immediately afterward.
The toxicology tests confirmed what a preponderance of evidence and a plethora of rumors suggested: Prince’s sudden death was linked to prescription painkiller abuse.
Reports of a drug overdose began shortly after Prince’s lifeless body was found the day after his inner circle attempted an intervention to get him into drug rehab.
The diminutive guitar genius was found dead on the same day when the son of a California addiction specialist arrived in Minnesota to meet with Prince. Andrew Kornfeld was one of the people who found the body.
Reports indicated the Oscar and Grammy winner nearly died once already, overdosing on Percocet while flying home from his final live show in Atlanta on April 14.
His private plane was forced to land so Prince could receive a life-saving shot of Narcan.
There were other indicators of possible prescription drug abuse. Prince was spied hanging around a local Walgreens pharmacy near his home, and canceled four concert dates — citing “the flu” — in the days before his death.
Authorities with a search warrant apparently went through Prince’s suburban Minneapolis home in a hunt for prescription drugs.
Federal DEA investigators joined the probe in a search for possible criminal activity, a legal source confirmed to the Daily News.
Despite the reports and rumors, friends of Prince insisted that he was a health nut who steered clear of drugs and alcohol.
