I don't think I am overreaching when I say dozens of people apparently knew Prince was using opiods, and, with the exception of the cousin who appeared in an interview, no one has spoken openly and honestly about what was going on. Yes, I understand he was a private person, and yes, I understand protecting his image. But the man DIED while they kept their mouths shut. Yes, he took whatever he took and he is responsible for that action, but the addict should not be in charge. He went to Kirk's doctor to keep his condition on the down-low; he should have been in Hazelden up the highway. Even the Mayo Clinic treats celebrity patients confidentially, and that is also in Minnesota. I don't forgive any of them. How do they sleep at night, knowing they had his life in their hands and they let him go? He weighed 112 pounds - tie him to the bedpost until help arrives. If the autopsy report reveals an underlying serious illness - perhaps a terminal one - then it might change my view of what happened, but not by much. Someone should have been there with him. He wasn't the only one with keys to the building. They could have dropped him off then returned minutes later, letting themselves in to watch out for him.

laurarichardson said:

FUNKNROLL said:

RE: Dr. S arriving with tests that morning - what comes to mind here, he probably had tests done after the Moline airplane emergency to determine what was wrong, or what he might have been taking. If you suspect you've been given some bad stuff, the first thing you're going to do is get tested to find out what's in your system.

What if he really thought he had been taking Tylenol w/Codeine and first suspected it was something else during/after the Moline airplane emergency? Seems like he would order a bunch of tests to get to the bottom. Seeking out a California Dr as pain manager for "withdrawal" management may have been the result of learning or suspecting he'd been taking the wrong thing but still needed to wean himself nontheless (think: "I'm not a junkie but I've been given the wrong stuff...and I'm going through withdrawal, not influenza... we'll figure out how I got the wrong stuff later, but for now I have to confirm my suspicions and manage the physical trouble I'm in...").

His inner circle (Judith?) indeed arranged the California doctor. Maybe that was through business execs, since it meets the criteria "telemedicine" - meaning, Doctors can't deliver care across state lines but they can (and sometimes do) consult with each other across state lines for arranging a patient's care.

Why would he be at Walgreens in a parking lot? Maybe because he reached a breaking point w/trusting others to pick up his medicine. You can pick up somebody else's prescriptions for them, I've personally done it for friends just out of surgery. He'd been getting the wrong stuff, through somebody. Remember he posted "just when you thought you were safe".

I don't want to believe any of this - but it's clear things weren't right in his world. Poor guy.

[Edited 8/22/16 5:14am]

Dr. S arriving with tests that morning - what comes to mind here, he probably had tests done after the Moline airplane emergency to determine what was wrong, or what he might have been taking. If you suspect you've been given some bad stuff, the first thing you're going to do is get tested to find out what's in your system.--

Good points!!! If he had been taking H for a long time he might have figured I need to find out what is really in this stuff or why I almost overdosed on a low level pain pill that I take all the time.

His inner circle (Judith?) indeed arranged the California doctor. Maybe that was through business execs, since it meets the criteria "telemedicine" - meaning, Doctors can't deliver care across state lines but they can (and sometimes do) consult with each other across state lines for arranging a patient's care.

Yes, but Dr. K said he was in grave danger so Dr. S must have discoverd something at that exam and that is really the key.

Why would he be at Walgreens in a parking lot? Maybe because he reached a breaking point w/trusting others to pick up his medicine. You can pick up somebody else's prescriptions for them, I've personally done it for friends just out of surgery. He'd been getting the wrong stuff, through somebody. Remember he posted "just when you thought you were safe".

Dr S wrote him Rx on the 20 so he went to fill them. We know they were not for pain meds so I am just guessing it might have been the Xanax or anti-seizure meds. If it was not pain meds what else could it have been.

Sure... I think the point I was trying to make about Walgreens was his state of mind - maybe he knew something was going wrong w/trusting others w/his prescriptions so he went to get them directly. He clearly was being targeted - TMZ had photogs in the parking lot. Might sound far fetched but it doesn't change the fact that somebody knew he'd be there and ran photos of him in the parking lot. Remember he had a talent for appearing/disappearing without notice. Yet they knew when/where to find him for that photo.

[Edited 8/22/16 5:49am]

rogifan said:

XxAxX said:

whoever provided these illicit pills to prince killed him.

But what if they didn't know? Then it wouldn't be murder, maybe manslaughter. I have a real hard time believing someone within his inner circle intentionally gave him something he didn't think he was taking and something that would kill him.

i get that. i really do. but, we are adults. by and large we know that buying black market drugs is dangerous. we for sure know it's illegal and why. because of cases like this.

there have been many deaths associated with this stuff, right here in minnesota. whoever had the bad judgment to provide prince with this fatal, mislabeled drug needs to step up and take responsibility and name some names.

the person manufacturing this shit needs to be stopped, so more people aren't inadvertently poisoned.

1Sasha said:

laurarichardson said:

XxAxX said:

So heartbreaking to learn all of this.

so people are dropping like flies from the pills marked as hydrocodone but are really fentanyl, but how many of them are worth 300 million?

obviously prince did not buy these pills himself, it seems like everyone agrees about this.

it seems like most people agree he was probably taking lower level pain killers, to kill pain. but he did not have a perscription for those either, so someone was also supplying these to him, and was farmiliar with how long a certain number of pills would last, so in other words new how many he was taking.

so why is it so far fetched, that a super rich guy with no childern, no wife, and no will, who is found dead with pills that looked exactly like the pills he always took, but were leathal, could have been by design?

drug dealers have pill presses that can press any substance into what ever the press stamps it.

someone could have requested fentynal pills that look like hydrocodone, they would have know he was going to overdose thinkning they were hydrocodone, and knowing that people are dropping like flys from these fake pills, that more than likely everyone would assume that is what happened to prince.

if this exact situation happened to some semi rich guy down the street, and not a mega star, the cops at the very least would be looking at who would benifit from his death to see if there was a motive.

could have been given the pills accidetnally for sure, but he could also have been given them on purpose

rogifan said:

1Sasha said:

I don't think I am overreaching when I say dozens of people apparently knew Prince was using opiods, and, with the exception of the cousin who appeared in an interview, no one has spoken openly and honestly about what was going on. Yes, I understand he was a private person, and yes, I understand protecting his image. But the man DIED while they kept their mouths shut. Yes, he took whatever he took and he is responsible for that action, but the addict should not be in charge. He went to Kirk's doctor to keep his condition on the down-low; he should have been in Hazelden up the highway. Even the Mayo Clinic treats celebrity patients confidentially, and that is also in Minnesota. I don't forgive any of them. How do they sleep at night, knowing they had his life in their hands and they let him go? He weighed 112 pounds - tie him to the bedpost until help arrives. If the autopsy report reveals an underlying serious illness - perhaps a terminal one - then it might change my view of what happened, but not by much. Someone should have been there with him. He wasn't the only one with keys to the building. They could have dropped him off then returned minutes later, letting themselves in to watch out for him.

And who are these dozens who knew? If you really believe this start naming names people.

Agreed. WHo are these dozens of people and while you are at it...please provide confirmation that he was a junkie or using to just get high...People can become drug tolerant for pain management as well.

Kara said:

laurarichardson said:

--------

A source with knowledge of the investigation told the Star Tribune on Friday that the doctor had been treating Prince for withdrawal symptoms from opioid addiction several weeks before his death. The source said the doctor did not prescribe opioids to the megastar.

The warrant, filed May 6, accidentally was left unsealed until Tuesday, when Carver County learned of the mistake and sent a copy of the order sealing it to the Hennepin County court administrator. The Star Tribune obtained a copy.

-----

This info came from that warrant along with information about interviewing Kirk who said that Prince had been in the hospital for treatement in 2014 and 2015 but he did not know for what.

----------

At this point these are the little things we only have small bits of info about but law enforcement has followed up on this stuff. They have reviewed all of Ps medical test and visit to get a picture of what was going on with him over the last few years. The info will leak out. I just think the family needs to come on out with it themselves. The authorities knew since June he was not a long term user of Fentanyl but the family said nothing and let the media run with the story.

They need to get a PR person and get on the move.

Sunset was asking where it was officially said that Prince was being treated for withdrawals by Schulenberg, and I'm just clarifying that it wasn't officially said, but rather through an anonymous source. The search warrant (link below) did not mention that. http://www.startribune.co...378885781/

Sepsis from a B12 shot was mentioned as one cause for hospital visit.

rogifan said:

XxAxX said:

i get that. i really do. but, we are adults. by and large we know that buying black market drugs is dangerous. we for sure know it's illegal and why. because of cases like this.

there have been many deaths associated with this stuff, right here in minnesota. whoever had the bad judgment to provide prince with this fatal, mislabeled drug needs to step up and take responsibility and name some names.

the person manufacturing this shit needs to be stopped, so more people aren't inadvertently poisoned.

Oh I don't disagree with this at all. And someone posted on FB that the heard arrests were coming so maybe that's why all this stuff started leaking.

i hope everyone connected goes down. i don't care if they considered themself prince's besties, they suck.

and by remaining silent this long they have tarnished prince's reputation forever. we now know he was not a long-term fentanyl abuser, yet he is now the poster child for same.

REAL friends of prince would step up and honor his memory by telling the truth

ladygirl99 said:

I am getting the impression that his camp are nicely telling the fans to 'Mind our own business and to focus on the music' yet they know what happened.

That's not uncommon when colleagues understand the bigger picture and it isn't good. Ever had a colleague you liked that always pissed off the higher-ups?

AA1slot said:

AA1slot said:

rogifan said:

1Sasha said:

I don't think I am overreaching when I say dozens of people apparently knew Prince was using opiods, and, with the exception of the cousin who appeared in an interview, no one has spoken openly and honestly about what was going on. Yes, I understand he was a private person, and yes, I understand protecting his image. But the man DIED while they kept their mouths shut. Yes, he took whatever he took and he is responsible for that action, but the addict should not be in charge. He went to Kirk's doctor to keep his condition on the down-low; he should have been in Hazelden up the highway. Even the Mayo Clinic treats celebrity patients confidentially, and that is also in Minnesota. I don't forgive any of them. How do they sleep at night, knowing they had his life in their hands and they let him go? He weighed 112 pounds - tie him to the bedpost until help arrives. If the autopsy report reveals an underlying serious illness - perhaps a terminal one - then it might change my view of what happened, but not by much. Someone should have been there with him. He wasn't the only one with keys to the building. They could have dropped him off then returned minutes later, letting themselves in to watch out for him.

And who are these dozens who knew? If you really believe this start naming names people.

IMO those people who traveled with him knew. I think fellow entertainers knew - such as Lenny and Sheila. Tavis Smiley knew. His family apparently knew. I truly believe others in his inner circle knew. They may not have known the exact drug(s) he was using, but they were aware of a problem.

Purplealegria7 said:

leadline said:

People assumed that due to the fake article that was released with the fake drug dealer holding up a fentanyl patch. Yeah I say fake because that article came out way too fast and was way too detailed to be real. It was designed to plant a seed in folks minds so 5 weeks later when the autopsy results came out, folks would say, oh yeah, fentanyl patch, that makes sense, isnt that the same patch his drug dealer was holding up in that pic? Case closed.

Just my opinion of course, but that is the logic that makes sense to me. And honestly, what kind of autopsy report could ever rule that something was self administered, that sounds more like an assumption to me, which has no place in an autopsy report. It's like saying kurt cobain died of an accidental suicide, how the F could that ever be determined lol.

[Edited 8/21/16 9:35am]

thank you!!!

Not to be indelcate, but the ME would have checked stomach contents, blood, eye fluid, looked for needle marks etc., in order to determine the cause of death. Since how drugs are administered effects the absorption rate that would have been checked as well to determine that it was sefl administered. Nobody would have forced pills down his throat. She said at the press conference that she was going to be thorough, hence the time it took to get the results and believe that she was.

I have never taken fentanyl and I certainly have never played an instrument, written a song, or ran an international business, but I know people who suffer with chronic pain and they take a lot of medication and I worry that one day their bodies are just going to stop. "I need it just to get through the day" is what they say, and the Dr.s give it to them and everybody around them says, they seem to know what they are doing, they seem alright, it's their body, they must know what they are doing..but they are not, and I don't think they even know how sick they are, and either do I. It's a complicated situation and what sucks is it didn't have to happen.

udo said:

The AP article states:

.

The official who spoke to the AP said records show the 57-year-old Prince had no prescription for any controlled substances in the state of Minnesota in the 12 months before he died.

.

I.e.: he was doctoring himself for quite a while.

.

Some of the illicit pills might have looked like this:

.

Now that's interesting because I was under the impression that the Walgreen's visit was about him trying to re-fill a prescription for his own doctor prescribed pain medication, before it's time but was denied.

This mess gets more confusing and disturbing with each passing day.

FUNKNROLL said:

XxAxX said:

1Sasha said:

rogifan said:

1Sasha said: And who are these dozens who knew? If you really believe this start naming names people.

IMO those people who traveled with him knew. I think fellow entertainers knew - such as Lenny and Sheila. Tavis Smiley knew. His family apparently knew. I truly believe others in his inner circle knew. They may not have known the exact drug(s) he was using, but they were aware of a problem.

So these people mentioned above said he was an addict/junkie? I do not read their comments that way.

Kara said:

AA1slot said:

Kara said:

AA1slot said:

Sepsis from a B12 shot was mentioned as one cause for hospital visit.

That story came from this gossip blog... http://www.crazydaysandni...-2-44.html

[Edited 8/22/16 6:12am]

Kara said:

AA1slot said:

EnDoRpHn said:

FUNKNROLL said:

People please make this known. Via Billboard - officials say Prince's autopsy shows he was NOT a long time Fentanyl abuser. This is tragic but needs to be heard. "Tests on Prince prior to his death did not show fentanyl in his system, which means he wasn't a long-time abuser of that drug, but likely took the fatal dose sometime in the 24 hours before he died, the official said." http://www.billboard.com/...watson-385

I have to be blunt here, I don't know why so many people here seem to worry about Prince's reputation or public persona.

Does anyone really think this website has any influence of how people choose to judge him?

Does anything said here change what people said about him back in the early 1980s? Will it change the fact that people at a Rolling Stones concert threw trash and booed him off the stage?

Does it change the opinions of people I grew up with, who made fun of me for listening to someone they assumed was gay, and (in the early emergence of the AIDS crisis) must therefore have AIDS?

Will any of it change the fact that, despite the universal accolades about his artistry, appreciation of Prince's music is an acquired taste? (Lots of long-time subscribers on this website trashed his recent output prior to his death.)

Does it change the fact that any number of people are going to pillory him as a life-long drug addict because of how he died?

We basically know four facts right now with certainty:

1) Prince died from a massive overdose of Fentanyl (enough to kill anyone, according to the Star Tribune).

People here have their own "theories" of how, when, and why, but even in a vacuum of available information, how much do the details really matter?

2) He suffered for 2-3 decades from hip pain (making it likely, though not certain, that he used prescription pain killers for some time before his death).

3) The DEA and other federal, state and local law enforcement authorities are investigating the circumstances leading up to his death. Whether anyone committed or will be charged with a crime is still uncertain.

4) These same agencies have reported, in contexts having nothing to do with Prince, that counterfeit "street" versions of various prescription opioids have been laced with Fentanyl and other substances, and -- together with other restrictions on the prescribing and dispensing of those drugs -- are contributing to an epidemic of drug overdose deaths in the U.S.

In all likelihood, Prince was another victim.

I understand that everyone wants to know and understand what happened. But asking questions about what could have been done differently, whether he could have been saved, why people didn't intervene, are really pointless. Even worse is speculation about baseless theories that the devil, the Illumaniti, Hillary Clinton (yes, that's out there), Warner Bros., anyone in his circle, or anyone else was involved in some convoluted conspiracy.

Everyone needs to be patient, what can be known will be known, in due course.

In the meantime, don't forget to live. Find solace in his music, if that soothes you. Or in the sounds of the seashore, the sunshine and the deep blue skies of the waning days of summer. I can't even begin to imagine how flustered he would be if he were actually alive to see some of the things being discussed here.

Agree

laurarichardson said:

Purplealegria7 said:

leadline said: thank you!!!

What are you clapping about.

(EXCEPT - officials are now saying medical tests prior to his death indicate he had no traces of Fentanyl in his system and not likely an abuser.)

Medical test are confirming it was accidental because he did not have any in his system prior to his death. They can also trace drugs back 90 days from hair samples. They have test that can tell how long you have been taking something especially Fentanyl.

I am still not sure some of you do not understand how P would not have been living if had been taking this stuff on his own for years.

You can posion yourself by just getting it on your hands.

Not too mention the side effects that everyone said he could have avoided by a high tolerance despite weighting a buck on five having too build up the tolerance in the first place.

The only thing that no traces of fentanyl prior to his death indicate is that foul play is more likely than ever.

While seemingly everyone on this board for the past 4 months has been running with the long term addiction narrative, making stuff up along the way, creating everything they can to explain why Prince was a user for decades, I have been saying the opposite. So no traces in his system is no surprise to me.

[Edited 8/22/16 6:50am]

laurarichardson said:

AA1slot said:

[Edited 8/22/16 6:12am]

-- We know from the search warrant that he had been the hospital so know it is possible he had other health issues. The family needs to speak out now. No one is going to blame him if he was hurting.

There are also several mentions of sepsis/hospital visit on this site if you use a Google search which is where I orginally read it.

kmama07 said: