Prince’s Cause Of Death Revealed: Singer Died Of Opioid Overdose

Prince, who was found dead on April 21 at the age of 57, died as the result of an opioid overdose.

Prince Suffered Opioid Overdose

Investigators have finally determined, more than a month after Prince’s death, that the musician did indeed die of an opioid overdose, as many had speculated.

In the beginning of May, sheriff’s investigators called in the DEA to help with the investigation into Prince’s death because painkillers had been found on his person. At that time, the investigation was steered in the direction of the “Purple Rain” singer’s alleged addition to opioids following a painful hip injury.

A week prior to his death, Prince had become unresponsive on a flight from Atlanta – where he had performed a concert – back to Minnesota. His private plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Illinois, where he was rushed to a hospital. Though it was initially reported that Prince was merely battling severe flu symptoms, it was later reported that he had suffered an overdose and was given a “save” shot at the hospital.

Prince apparently had been taking the opioid Percocet for years, and may have been addicted to the pain killer, sources told TMZ. His alleged abuse of the drug supposedly began when he was prescribed it in 2009 while battling some hip trouble. Prince’s dependence on Percocet reportedly only increased over the years.

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Ramsey, Minn., performed an autopsy on Prince the day after he was found dead at his Paisley Park estate.