Prince died of an accidental opioid overdose 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 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 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.
Prince was prescribed “medications and prescriptions” by a Minnesota doctor twice in the month before his death, the AP previously reported, 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.
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