|
 Carver County Attorney Mark Metz will hold a news conference at
11:30 a.m. CDT (1630 GMT) regarding his decision following a
lengthy investigation, the Carver County Attorney's office said
in a statement on Wednesday.
Prince, 57, was found dead at his Paisley Park complex near
Minneapolis on April 21, 2016. The official cause of death was a
self-administered overdose of the painkiller fentanyl, but no
prescriptions were found for the powerful drug that is 50 times
stronger than heroin.
Police investigating Prince's death found numerous opioids in
the singer's home, according to court documents released in
April 2017. At that time, they had not identified who supplied
the dose of fentanyl that caused his death or where it came
from.
Authorities have been investigating the death of the "Purple
Rain" singer for two years, terming it an "active homicide
investigation," according to affidavits and search warrants
unsealed in 2017.
The probe included searches of Prince's computer, his friends'
mobile phone records and interviews with associates, the
documents said. Some of the painkillers found at the residence
had prescriptions in the names of other people.
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Investigators were told that the singer, whose legal name was Prince
Rogers Nelson, had a history of going through withdrawals believed
to be tied to prescription pain medication abuse, the unsealed
documents showed.
Prince, known for his androgynous style and sexually charged songs,
died a day before he was set to meet a California-based doctor who
specializes in addiction treatment for a "life-saving mission."
After his death, his longtime collaborator and protege Sheila E.
told "Entertainment Tonight" that Prince had been suffering from hip
and knee pain from decades of intense performing, much of it in
heels.
Later in his life, the singer and composer of such hits as "When
Doves Cry," "Little Red Corvette" and "Raspberry Beret," crafted a
public image of living a clean and healthy vegan lifestyle.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey in Los Angeles; Editing by Cynthia
Osterman and Peter Cooney)
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