Prince was supposed to meet with a California addiction expert the day after he died, according to an attorney with knowledge of the investigation, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
On April 20, Prince’s reps reached out to Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a doctor who specializes in chronic pain and chemical dependency, explaining that the “Purple Rain” singer “was dealing with a grave medical emergency,” said William Mauzy, the attorney who is working with the Kornfeld family.
Dr. Kornfeld’s schedule meant that he was unable to fly to Minnesota to see the singer, but he sent his son Andrew, who also works at the Recovery Without Walls addiction outpatient clinic that’s based in Mill Valley, California. Andrew was meant to evaluate the pop superstar’s health and to start a treatment plan, while Dr. Kornfeld planned to fly out the following day.
Andrew arrived at the singer’s Paisley Park studio residence at 9:30 a.m. on the morning of April 21 and was there when Prince was discovered unconscious in the elevator. Mauzy explained that Andrew said he called 911 because the other people there “were in too much shock.” Responders were on the scene in minutes and declared Prince dead at 10:07 a.m.
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Officials found prescription painkillers in Prince’s house, reported NBC News on April 27, but there’s been no confirmation that they contributed to his death. TMZ also reported that Prince was rushed to the hospital after his plane made an emergency landing in Illinois on April 15. Their sources said the 57-year-old was treated for a drug overdose, but Prince’s reps said it was because he was fighting the flu.
The autopsy of the late singer was completed on April 22, said the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, but results are still pending.
