After patiently waiting on word regarding the cause of Prince’s passing, an official involved with the death investigation has some info about how the late music icon passed.
According to a law enforcement official close to the investigation, toxicology tests reveal that Prince died of an opioid overdose, the Associated Press reports. The official “spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media,” AP states.
However, as revealing as this news is, this isn’t “official” news. The Huffington Post contacted The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, who have yet to release official test results, saying, “We have no new information.”
The musician passed away at the age of 57 on April 21st at his Paisley Park Estate outside of Minneapolis. An autopsy was performed on April 22nd the same day Carver County Sheriff Jim Olsen told reporters there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body and police had no reason to believe it was a suicide.
This lead to speculation of drug use, especially when TMZ reported that Prince overdosed on Percocet the week before his death, causing his plane to make an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois on April 15th. Sources say Prince had been taking the painkiller since 2010 when he underwent hip surgery.