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Updated 8.45pm
A POST-MORTEM to determine what caused the death of the iconic musician Prince has taken place today.
Officials said it could take days or even weeks before results are publicly released.
The Midwest Medical Examiner said the results are pending, and that his body will be released to his family.
Prince was found unresponsive yesterday morning in an elevator at his suburban Minneapolis compound.
The local sheriff said deputies responded to a medical call at 9.43am that morning but that first-responders couldn’t revive the 57-year-old musician. He was pronounced dead at 10.07am.
In a press conference tonight, police said that Prince was last seen at around 8pm in Paisley Park on Wednesday night.
They said that staff had been unable to reach him yesterday morning, so went to Paisley Park, where they found the singer in a lift.
Police will be talking to people close to the singer and gathering medical records as part of their investigation. They said that they are not commenting on any medication use by him.
In addition, police said that there is no reason to believe he took his own life.
Days or weeks to be completed
Prince had cancelled concerts in Atlanta because he wasn’t feeling well. He performed a make-up concert 14 April in that city, apologising to the crowd shortly after coming on stage for the earlier cancellation.
While talking to the crowd between songs, he joked about having been “under the weather,” giving a slight smile.
His voice seemed a bit weak at times when he spoke, but he sounded fine when singing during the 80-minute show, which featured Nothing Compares 2 U and his finale, Baby, I’m A Star.
He sat at his piano for most of the show, but stood up at times to pound the keys and walked around the piano a couple of times, soaking up cheers.
Prince had struggled with hip problems and childhood epilepsy. His former percussionist, Sheila E, told ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday that Prince damaged his hips while performing, saying he jumped off risers while wearing high heels during his Purple Rain days and that “it damaged parts of his body.” Prince was seen in recent years using a cane.
Clean living
Prince revealed in a 2009 interview with Tavis Smiley that he was “born epileptic” and had seizures when he was young. It’s unclear if his epilepsy carried into adulthood.
Prince, a Jehovah’s Witness, had a reputation for clean living. In 2009, he told an interviewer with the Los Angeles Times that he didn’t do drugs “or I’d give you a joint” to share while they listened to music.
After the Atlanta performance, Prince hosted a dance party on 16 April at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota.
Jeremiah Freed, who runs the website drfunkenberry.com and who got to know Prince after writing about him over the years, said he last saw Prince at the dance party. Freed said he believed Prince held the party to show everyone he was fine.
Freed said Prince made a brief appearance but that he didn’t have one-on-one time with the musician that night. Freed said the artist showed off a new purple piano he had received as a gift, as well as a purple guitar, but seemed upset about the reports of an illness.
“When he had to talk about the stories going on, he didn’t seem too pleased. It was kind of like, ‘I’m here. I’m good,’” Freed said, adding that Prince told the crowd:
Just wait a few days before saying your prayers.
Lars Larson, a 37-year-old Minneapolis man who worked security for Prince and at Paisley Park events for about six years, said he attended the same party. Larson said the singer briefly appeared on stage and spoke to the crowd before standing by the sound board for 20 minutes then disappearing for the night.
“He seemed great. He looked like Prince,” he said.
The whole point of the show on Saturday was to show he was doing all right.
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Sad we have lost him – regardless if self inflicted or natural medical problem-He will be missed ;-(
And why are people so eager to find out…should be just in his family’s interest in knowing. …
Won’t make any difference now anyway sadly.
I’d call him a hero before I’d call him a heroin
Prince was a Jehovah’s Witness.
He had been badly in need of a double hip replacement but it was against his beliefs to have a blood transfusion.
Makes no difference now in any case as his soul will be winging its way back to the Creator.
RIP.
What sort of shite are you spouting Cal?
This morbid fascination with how he died is creepy to say the least.
Some ” theories” being put forward demonstrate how the Internet seems to bring out the darkness in certain people. Let get guy rest in peace and be thankful for his music.
He was a very well known public figure,an icon for many people,legions of fans across the planet.He lived his live to a fair degree in the public eye,people being curious or wanting to know how he met his end is not morbid fascination,creepy or dark…exaggerate much?
Does it matter how he died may he r.I.p his music will live on
We’ll finally know if he really did have those ribs removed
It doesn’t matter how he died, he was a genious and I’m glad to say I saw him perform in Malahide, r.I.p Prince, oiche maith
Genius
I like that he talked about geoengineering in a interview before his death
A sobering reminder that unfortunately, our favourite celebrities (and musical geniuses) often talk a lot of b*llocks.
Also, it wasn’t his last interview. But I guess that bit made it seem a bit more spooky.
Geoengineering and GMOs are worth talking about…just because you trust the mad men who run the planet…not everyone is quite so naive…
The science is clear on GMOs, unless you’re just talking about risk of ecosystem takeover, which is a useful conversation to have.
Geoengineering, i.e. chemtrails, is a load of nonsense that has never, ever been substantiated.
Overdose
Evidence ?
Apparently he overdosed on painkillers last week and was revived. He really needed surgery but as one poster said earlier he wouldn’t go through with it for religious reasons. I suppose we will have to wait for the coroners results..in the meantime its probably better to sit back and listen to some of the brilliant music he made. And remember he was musical genius.
Every single news outlet in the world has been reporting in since this afternoon and the pm results are obviously waiting for toxicology results. So it’s so obviously an overdose.
Sorry if everyone is so offended by that but honestly can’t understand why they are!
Like I said it was reported he overdosed on painkillers last week..but sure you seem to know more. We wiĺl wait for toxicology results so..now maybe you might wait as well.
Wow!!! You know before the medical examiners complete the post-mortem. Quick!! Get on Sky and tell them u know more than anyone else. Ye dope!!!!
Macooper, not obviously an overdose. Not obviously anything yet just pure speculation. I don’t think people would be offended if it were an overdose its more the complete spoofery of people who think before the results are in that is bothering people.
What is that all about?!
Heroin
Kill your idol or your idol will kill you .
Loada w@nkbots invading
Don’t take our sting journal
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