The story of megastar Prince and an alleged prescription drug addiction has taken full stage once again after a press conference yesterday. Attorney William Mauzy represents renowned opiate addiction specialist Dr. Howard Kornfeld and has told reporters that members of Prince’s team contacted Kornfeld for help. Kornfeld runs the rehab center Recovery Without Walls in Mill Valley, California. According to the center’s website it offers, “a personalized outpatient clinic, specializing in innovative, evidence-based medical treatment for chronic pain and drug and alcohol addiction.”
Mauzy stated that Kornfeld was contacted the day before Prince died and had cleared his schedule to see the artist as soon as possible. He dispatched his son Andrew Kornfeld on the next overnight flight to Minnesota. When he arrived in Minnesota he went to Prince’s Paisley Park estate for a scheduled meeting. Prince’s staff began looking for the artist and discovered him unconscious in an elevator. According to Mauzy, the son made the 911 phone call to summon help because the staff was so distraught; it is his voice that is heard on the released audio.
During the initial police investigation it was discovered that Kornfeld had in his possession the drug Buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid addiction. The drug is a controlled substance and Kornfeld is not a doctor and he was taken into custody. Because Minnesota has a 911 immunity clause for those reporting an emergency, there was a legal issue raised as to whether he could face illegal possession of a controlled substance charges. He was released and told by police that a criminal investigation was underway regarding Prince’s death. Police have not announced if a separate investigation into Kornfeld would also be started.
Mauzy further stated that the drug in Kornfeld’s possession was not intented to be given to Prince directly. It was arranged that Prince was to see a private Minnesota physician that morning as part of a coordinated effort. The physician, whose name was not reveled, was supposed to medically evaluate the star, stabilize him and possibly give him the drug. This latest revelation further brings light to the allegations of a possible drug addiction that afflicted Prince.
