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FILE -
Prince
performs
in his
debut
movie
“Purple
Rain,”
the 1984
rock
opera
about a
young
man’s
search
for
artistic
accomplishment
and
love.
(AP
Photo) |
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Prince
death
investigation
focuses
on
flight,
drugs,
doctor
By Eric
Tucker,
Amy
Forliti
and
Michael
Tarm
Tell Us
Detroit
via AP
MINNEAPOLIS
-
Authorities
are
investigating
whether
Prince
died
from an
overdose
and
whether
a doctor
was
prescribing
drugs
for the
musician
in the
weeks
before
he was
found
dead at
his
suburban
Minneapolis
home. A
guide to
the
latest
developments:
___
INQUIRY
INTO
EMERGENCY
LANDING
Questions
about
Prince’s
health
surfaced
April
15, when
his
private
plane
made an
emergency
stop in
Moline,
Illinois.
He was
found
unconscious
aboard
the
aircraft,
according
to a law
enforcement
official
who was
briefed
on the
investigation
and
spoke to
The
Associated
Press.
The
official
spoke on
condition
of
anonymity
because
he was
not
authorized
to speak
to the
media.
While
the
plane
was on
the
tarmac,
the
person
said,
first-responders
gave
Prince a
shot of
Narcan,
an
antidote
that is
used to
reverse
suspected
opioid
overdoses.
At the
time,
Prince
was
returning
to
Minneapolis
following
a
performance
in
Atlanta.
The
official
said
investigators
are
looking
at
whether
he
overdosed
on the
flight
and
whether
an
overdose
killed
him. One
possibility
is the
powerful
painkiller
Percocet
or
something
similar,
the
official
said.
Investigators
also
want to
know
whether
a doctor
was on
the
plane
and
whether
any
drugs
were
aboard
the
aircraft
or at
Prince’s
Minnesota
house.
While
the
investigation
is far
from
complete,
the
mention
of a
doctor
calls to
mind
other
celebrity
deaths,
including
Michael
Jackson’s.
Jackson’s
physician,
Conrad
Murray,
was
convicted
of
involuntary
manslaughter
for his
role in
prescribing
a
powerful
anesthetic
that
contributed
to the
pop
star’s
death in
2009.
___
A
SEARCH
OF
STAR’S
HOME
A second
law
enforcement
official
told AP
that
prescription
drugs
were
discovered
at
Prince’s
home
when the
musician
was
found
dead on
April
21.
That
official
also
spoke on
condition
of
anonymity
because
the
person
was not
authorized
to speak
about
the
ongoing
investigation.
The
official
did not
elaborate.
Prince’s
Paisley
Park
home and
studio
were
searched
on the
same day
he died.
The
warrant
and
accompanying
documents
were
filed
Thursday
under
seal at
the
request
of
investigators
who said
it would
hamper
their
investigation
if the
contents
were
public.
An
affidavit
in
support
of
sealing
the
warrant
warned
that
disclosing
details
in the
warrant
could
cause
“the
search
or
related
searches
to be
unsuccessful”
and risk
injury
to
innocent
people.
The
person
who
signed
that
affidavit,
Carver
County
Chief
Deputy
Jason
Kamerud,
declined
to
comment
Thursday
on the
reports
of drugs
found at
Paisley
Park,
and told
AP that
he
disputed
reports
by
several
media
outlets
that
investigators
had
asked
the U.S.
Drug
Enforcement
Administration
for
help.
“We have
not
asked
them for
help or
asked
them to
be a
part of
the
investigation,”
Kamerud
said.
“We
might
contact
them to
help us,
but that
hasn’t
happened.”
He said
authorities
did not
have the
medical
examiner’s
report
yet and
did not
know “to
what
extent
pharmaceuticals
could be
a part
of
this.”
An
autopsy
has been
performed,
but
results
are not
expected
for
three to
four
weeks.
___
OTHER
HEALTH
COMPLAINTS,
CANCELED
CONCERTS
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.
Prince
was
scheduled
to
perform
two
shows in
St.
Louis
but
canceled
them
shortly
before
his
death
due to
health
concerns.
Longtime
friend
and
collaborator
Sheila
E. has
told the
AP that
Prince
had
physical
problems
from his
performances,
citing
hip and
knee
trouble
that she
said
came
from
years of
jumping
off
risers
and
stage
speakers
in
heels.
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