The tragic death of music icon Prince is still fresh on the minds of many fans. Yesterday, news came out that the pop star died of an overdose of opioids. That announcement was made by an unidentified law enforcement official who did not have the authority to speak on the matter. Later that day, the medical examiner released the death certificate of Prince Rogers Nelson and now it has been confirmed that the star did in fact die of a Fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home.
The news of Prince having a drug issue was fervently denied by fans of the superstar who believed he led a clean and drug free life. Chris Gaither had been working for Prince since 2012 and considered him not only his employer but also his friend. At the recent memorial service held for Prince, he said, “I packed this man’s bag on the daily. I have been on tour with him for months. So if anybody had an addiction that would be something you would see. That would be something that you would know.” 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.”
The death certificate does not say how the drugs were introduced into his system and the method of death was accidental. Despite rumors that Prince was diagnosed with AIDS, there was no mention of HIV/AIDS as being a contributing cause of his death.
Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than morphine and 100 times more powerful than heroin. It is unknown how he received the most powerful opioid on the market.
Below is an image of his death certificate that was released by the medical examiner that states his official time of death as 10:07 AM on April 21.
