--- description: Prince died of an opioid overdose, a law enforcement official said Thursday. title: Prince Died of an Opioid Overdose, Official Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb26ff7f231d446/69889600e20a871466a9114a/prince-death-opioid-overdose.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Prince Died of an Opioid Overdose, Official Says  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:53 AM CUTPublished: Jun 2, 2016 4:17 PM CUT  Prince performs live in Inglewood, Calif. on Feb. 19, 1985. Prince performs live in Inglewood, Calif. on Feb. 19, 1985.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 8:53 AM CUTPublished: Jun 2, 2016 4:17 PM CUT Prince [died of an accidental opioid overdose](http://bigstory.ap.org/3c35f1efbd3a4ae1add3a3d787864475 "undefined") after he “self-administered” the drug fentanyl, a medical examiner and a law enforcement official said Thursday. The late music legend was 57 when he [died at his Minnesota home](http://time.com/4303558/prince-dead-paisley-park-57/ "undefined") on April 21\. He was found “unresponsive” in an elevator, authorities said. Investigators had been looking into whether drugs played a role in the icon’s death. Tests show he died of an opioid overdose, according to the Associated Press, which cited an anonymous law enforcement official. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s office on Thursday [announced](https://www.anokacounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/10066 "undefined") it has completed its autopsy and released its report which concluded that Prince’s death was caused by fentanyl toxicity. Fentanyl is a powerful opiate, more potent than morphine, that is typically used to treat severe pain, according to the [National Institute on Drug Abuse](https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/fentanyl "undefined"). Prince was prescribed “medications and prescriptions” by a Minnesota doctor twice in the month before his death, the [AP previously reported](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/21140409ac784faf88f88ce5c400bbe3/warrant-minnesota-doctor-saw-prince-prescribed-drugs "undefined"), citing a search warrant. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration were also part of the investigation into Prince’s death. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4355309/prince-died-opioid-overdose/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4355309/prince-died-opioid-overdose/"},"headline":"Prince Died of an Opioid Overdose, Official Says","datePublished":"2016-06-02T16:17:03.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T08:53:02.000Z","description":"Investigators had been looking into whether drugs played a role in his death","url":"https://time.com/4355309/prince-died-opioid-overdose/","keywords":["celebrities"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb26ff7f231d446/69889600e20a871466a9114a/prince-death-opioid-overdose.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5cb26ff7f231d446/69889600e20a871466a9114a/prince-death-opioid-overdose.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Prince Live In LA","caption":"Prince performs live in Inglewood, Calif. on Feb. 19, 1985.","creditText":"Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4355309/prince-died-opioid-overdose/","name":"Prince Died of an Opioid Overdose, Official Says"}}]}] ```