Exactly six weeks after his death, police officials confirmed on Thursday (June 2nd) that the musical legend Prince passed away at the age of 57 from an opioid overdose.
Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota on April 21st. In May, Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud revealed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration were being called in to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Investigators determined that the Purple Rain singer’s addiction to painkiller medications was what ultimately led to his death. According to the report from the medical examiner’s office – which was released on Twitter – the official cause of death was “self-administered” Fentanyl toxicity. For manner of death, a box was marked for “accident.” The full autopsy and toxicology reports will not be released.
Prescribed by doctors for cancer treatment, Fentanyl can be made illicitly and is blamed for a spike in overdose deaths in the United States. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, it is 25 to 50 times more potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
“We are 5% of the world’s population and yet we consume 80% of the opioids on the planet,” said Dr. Drew Pinsky, an addiction specialist and television personality. “The over-prescribing is out of control, and finally, this is just getting people’s attention.”
Over the years, drug overdose have taken the lives of many musicians, actors, comedians and more. See the celebrities who were tragically taken away too soon below.
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967 – 2014)
Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, an American actor who was in the film Capote, died of an overdose of heroin and other drugs on February 2nd, 2014. He had been sober for 23 years prior to 2012 when he relapsed. Hoffman was 46 years old.
