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Rumours of substance abuse are lending a tragic twist to US pop sensation Prince’s legacy, which has been flaunted on social media by fans and fellow artists after his death on Thursday.
Prince allegedly overdosed on Percocet just six days before his April 21 death, causing the plane he was travelling in to make an emergency landing so he could be administered a “save shot”.
Percocet is a prescription painkiller containing a highly addictive opiate component.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the late singer was flying home from a concert in Atlanta on April 15 when he allegedly ingested too much Percocet on the flight. This led to the plane making an emergency landing in Illinois, where he was given a “save shot” to bring him back to life.
On Friday, Dr Angelique Quinn Strobl of the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota performed an autopsy on the star’s body – but final results could take weeks.
“The autopsy began at 9am and was completed at 1pm local time. The body will be released to family later today,” the Midwest office stated on Friday.
“Gathering the results will take several days, and the results of a full toxicology scan could take weeks.”
Prince Rogers Nelson was found lifeless in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, in the state of Minnesota. He was raised in nearby Minneapolis by musical parents in a house filled with jazz.
On Thursday, an outpouring of grief engulfed the internet as news of his death at the age of 57 spread like wildfire. Twitter was lit with video clips of his 1984 hit Purple Rain, showing him with wild hair in glittering suits, nimble fingers flying over guitar strings in what has been described as possibly the greatest power-ballad solo of all time.
Many chose to share a quote from his song Let’s Go Crazy, also from the album Purple Rain: “Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.”
Speaking to City Press yesterday, Big Concerts CEO Attie van Wyk pointed out that not only did Prince have a cult fan following, he was also respected by his musical peers.
This week, veteran songwriter Diane Warren tweeted: “U wanna learn what a great song is? Go listen to every f***ing song on Purple Rain.”
Van Wyk added: “I saw him live at Wembley in London. It was spectacular. He never listened to other artists, you know; he had no other influences. He only listened to his own music and mixed it himself.”
Van Wyk said Big Concerts tried to negotiate South African concerts with Prince several times, but could never afford the singer’s tour demands.
And now it is too late.
City Press has studied a document stipulating Prince’s backstage demands for his famous 2004 Musicology tour, and notes that it does not contain any alcohol.
However, the rider stipulates that Prince will require a physician backstage before the show to inject him with vitamin B12, known for its energising properties.
“Please make a physician available on call until 5.30pm. The physician will be used to administer a B12 injection,” the document states.
In his dressing room, Prince required one box of Yogi cocoa spice tea, honey, lemon and fresh ginger root. Also, a dozen bottles of Fiji still mineral water, six bottles each of organic orange and cranberry juice, hummus, pita bread, tortillas and salsa, and two jasmine-scented candles.
Prince sold more than 100 million records in his 40-year music career. In December, he cracked Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists list at number 33.
