Medical examiner's report doesn't say whether the potent painkiller had been prescribed.
By David Chanen and Jeremy Olson Star Tribune staff writers
June 2, 2016 — 10:08pm
Chris Pizzello, Associated Press |
Prince died from an accidental, self-administered overdose of the powerful drug fentanyl, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office said in a report released Thursday.
The report gave no indication of how Prince obtained the painkiller, nor did it list any other cause of death or “significant conditions.”
The 57-year-old musician was pronounced dead the morning of April 21, one day before he was scheduled to meet with a California doctor in an attempt to shed an opioid addiction. Two of his staff members — longtime friend Kirk Johnson and personal assistant Meron Bekure — found his body in a Paisley Park elevator about 9:40 a.m.
Sources told the Star Tribune in the days after Prince’s death that a joint state and federal criminal investigation has focused on his use of painkillers and how he obtained them.
Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud said Thursday that he has “no idea what the time frame is” for completing that investigation. He said the medical examiner’s report is simply “a piece of the puzzle.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more powerful than morphine. Administered by injection, lozenge or patch to treat severe pain after surgery and to manage chronic pain, the controlled substance is commonly sold illegally and misused by addicts.