babynoz said:

SoupDog said:

I agree that TMZ has some accuracy on some stories, and may very well be right in some of their reporting on Prince's death. I personally want to hold out on jumping to any conclusions until the autopsy report comes out. Even then, we may never know the truth. Was he hooked on Percoset, was it a one or two time thing, and his body couldn't handle it? Who knows?

If there is any truth to it, he probably was in some serious physical pain, and I can't blame him for wanting to relieve that pain. Even if it is true, who cares? Elvis died from prescription abuse, and he is still the King of Rock and Roll. It should lessen Prince's legacy.

It's been 7 years since I've posted here. I'm sorry it took such a tragedy for me to post again.

The may very well get some details right but it doesn't mean that we necessarily have to buy into the conclusions they draw from it.

I work at a TV station that airs the TMZ TV Show...unfortunately, I get to hear all the crud-ola they report on. Nothing on Prince tonight, thank goodness! I don't buy their bullsh*t at all, and really hope what they are reporting is not true!

"If the whole world buys your bullsh*t, I don't care..." Maybe Prince was singing about TMZ?

babynoz said:

Where in that pic does it say Walgreens? Anybody from Chanhassen here on the org recognize this location?

That pic was taken on April 20. There are three Walgreens very close to Paisley Park. One is right on W 79th Street and Arboretum. (Paisley Park is on the corner of Arboretum and Audobon Rd.) The other is north of the old Galpin house. The other, which I think might be the one he was photographed at based on geography in the pic (and it's just a guess), is the one further east on Arboretum (eventually called 78th Street W, I think - also highway 212), listed in Eden Prarie. That might be the one he was at. It looks like he's near a retaining wall of some sort, and the Walgreens on W 79th, and the one up in Excelsior (northwest of Galpin) both have a flatter parking lot area. The one in Eden Prarie seems to have that sort of wall, and there's a structure behind it. There is one behind Prince in the background of the pic, above a retaining wall.

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But that's an educated guess.

.

So yeah, it's a Walgreens more likely than not. There's a CVS in the area, and it looks nothing like the pic with Prince in it.

TrivialPursuit said:

babynoz said:

Where in that pic does it say Walgreens? Anybody from Chanhassen here on the org recognize this location?

That pic was taken on April 20. There are three Walgreens very close to Paisley Park. One is right on W 79th Street and Arboretum. (Paisley Park is on the corner of Arboretum and Audobon Rd.) The other is north of the old Galpin house. The other, which I think might be the one he was photographed at based on geography in the pic (and it's just a guess), is the one further east on Arboretum (eventually called 78th Street W, I think - also highway 212), listed in Eden Prarie. That might be the one he was at. It looks like he's near a retaining wall of some sort, and the Walgreens on W 79th, and the one up in Excelsior (northwest of Galpin) both have a flatter parking lot area. The one in Eden Prarie seems to have that sort of wall, and there's a structure behind it. There is one behind Prince in the background of the pic, above a retaining wall.

.

But that's an educated guess.

.

So yeah, it's a Walgreens more likely than not. There's a CVS in the area, and it looks nothing like the pic with Prince in it.

Thanks for the info. Have you come across any photos of him going there 4 times or maybe to the other locations?

SoupDog said:

babynoz said:

The may very well get some details right but it doesn't mean that we necessarily have to buy into the conclusions they draw from it.

I work at a TV station that airs the TMZ TV Show...unfortunately, I get to hear all the crud-ola they report on. Nothing on Prince tonight, thank goodness! I don't buy their bullsh*t at all, and really hope what they are reporting is not true!

"If the whole world buys your bullsh*t, I don't care..." Maybe Prince was singing about TMZ?

Yeah I found a few inconsistencies in their report that people are overlooking. We cannot just automatically believe something. Right now they are implying that 2+2=5.

TMZ is a bunch of sensationalizing vultures and parasites. They put a spin on everything. Headline is "Associate says Prince took drugs" and not "99% of associates say Prince lived a clean, vegan life".

They are evil douches...plain and simple.

Seems to me as soon a a judge confrms there is no will - everything explodes all at once.

Everyone realizes the estate is in less than capable hands and the family is disorganized and they go in for headlines and clickbait and think tyka will never get around to suing thier asses.

Hm, I'm in the area. Could go on a little field trip...

TrivialPursuit said:

babynoz said:

Where in that pic does it say Walgreens? Anybody from Chanhassen here on the org recognize this location?

That pic was taken on April 20. There are three Walgreens very close to Paisley Park. One is right on W 79th Street and Arboretum. (Paisley Park is on the corner of Arboretum and Audobon Rd.) The other is north of the old Galpin house. The other, which I think might be the one he was photographed at based on geography in the pic (and it's just a guess), is the one further east on Arboretum (eventually called 78th Street W, I think - also highway 212), listed in Eden Prarie. That might be the one he was at. It looks like he's near a retaining wall of some sort, and the Walgreens on W 79th, and the one up in Excelsior (northwest of Galpin) both have a flatter parking lot area. The one in Eden Prarie seems to have that sort of wall, and there's a structure behind it. There is one behind Prince in the background of the pic, above a retaining wall.

.

But that's an educated guess.

.

So yeah, it's a Walgreens more likely than not. There's a CVS in the area, and it looks nothing like the pic with Prince in it.

delinquent said:

Hm, I'm in the area. Could go on a little field trip...

I would definitely be interested to know about the one in Eden Prairie. The one on W 79th and the one up in Excelsior don't fit the bill, from what I can see. I think, if I'm right, that the pic was taken at an angle, not directly perpendicular to the wall. The wall isn't parallel with the apartment complex behind it (which is what I think that building is in the April 20 pic). So the photographer would have to be at a different spot to get the shot. But in general, it shouldn't be hard to see some of the traits of either building and if they match.

babynoz said:

It's pretty simple, TMZ gets fed leaks because they have deep pockets. Every sleazeball and opportunist with tea to spill knows who pays top dollar. They are able to pay top dollar because they are part of a corporate conglomerate. Plus they get big bucks, favors and scoops from powerful people with agendas to plant stories too.

And most likely paid not to run certain stories?

kewlschool said:

babynoz said:

It's pretty simple, TMZ gets fed leaks because they have deep pockets. Every sleazeball and opportunist with tea to spill knows who pays top dollar. They are able to pay top dollar because they are part of a corporate conglomerate. Plus they get big bucks, favors and scoops from powerful people with agendas to plant stories too.

And most likely paid not to run certain stories?

I find it weird that if Prince was so ill, he was hanging around collecting his own prescriptions? Wouldn't a staff member handle that whilst he stayed home? (Sorry not sure how this works in the US, but in the UK you are allowed to nominate someone to collect prescriptions on your behalf).

TrivialPursuit said:

delinquent said:

Hm, I'm in the area. Could go on a little field trip...

I would definitely be interested to know about the one in Eden Prairie. The one on W 79th and the one up in Excelsior don't fit the bill, from what I can see. I think, if I'm right, that the pic was taken at an angle, not directly perpendicular to the wall. The wall isn't parallel with the apartment complex behind it (which is what I think that building is in the April 20 pic). So the photographer would have to be at a different spot to get the shot. But in general, it shouldn't be hard to see some of the traits of either building and if they match.

The Walgreens is in Minnetonka: 4950 COUNTY ROAD 101, Minnetonka, MN 55345

If you look on Google Maps, go around to the back of the Walgreens and you can see the "Village Animal Hospital" next door, a brown building with green trim that appears in the background of the Prince pic.

[Edited 4/28/16 0:53am]

I am a journalist. Yes, TMZ are trashy and ruthless, but they are absolutely reliable, and have broken some of the generation's biggest, most shocking stories. They have an insider source of some sort who is dirty as hell but it is what it is.

TMZ = business... making money off other peoples tragedies??

Disgusting.

babynoz said:

purplesweat said:

I am a journalist. Yes, TMZ are trashy and ruthless, but they are absolutely reliable, and have broken some of the generation's biggest, most shocking stories. They have an insider source of some sort who is dirty as hell but it is what it is.

.

Thanks for saying that. I am no advocate of them, but I do know they will find the truth. As I stated before, they have no investment in Prince like we do. They are invested in keeping a business alive and reliable as a news source. It just happens to be news about celebrities. They have broken major stories in this decade alone, and will stop at nothing to find the truth. I mean, whether it's Percocet or a heart attack, don't we all want the truth?

They are reliable, the broke Michael Jackson's death and when I saw about Prince, I knew it was true.

McD said:

babynoz said:

I think it's weird that somebody would even make a thread suggesting that all other news sources should be ignored?

Certain news outlets are running constant articles on this tragedy. Which one, other than TMZ, are you backing for your new info? None? Right. People, exactly what standard of proof are you seriously suggesting a website provide to convince you he went to Walgreens four times in a week? It's obvious it came from their staff. As to why he went in himself, barring US law I know nothing about, plenty answers suggest themselves. What is this story as a news event WITHOUT TMZ? That's right, it's our beloved Prince being found dead at Paisley Park out of the blue and no one knowing anything, and an autopsy being similarly factless. If you think it's open season now, imagine this situation minus TMZ!!! Not only are you flailing in the dark right now confused beyond belief, but you would have absolutely nothing to arm yourself against AIDS or murder theories. The one story I didn't want to believe, Prince as a lifelong cocaine addict (it would ruin Purple Music if nothing else) was a story I wasn't convinced even THEY believed. And what did they do? State their sources by name. Name their sources' sources. And tell you plenty of people claim it's BS. Yes, it's a gossip site, yes, I'm sure they use underhand methods. But to a (British) outsider with no interest in them, it's blatantly obvious they are the only news service with a) the actual goods and b) a reliability factor. It's TMZ, or The Daily Mail, The Daily Star, or the Enquirer, or knowing absolutely nothing and being in an even bigger limbo than we all already are. All I'm saying is TMZ is the best of those options. And we can all use our personal judgement given how this thing has gone down on what we think is true. Do I believe anything the other sources have said? No, not one single bloody thing. Not one. Do I believe all the TMZ stories. Yes. All of them. Every one. And to recap, their cocaine story was both double-sided but, by naming the sources entirely, it's also a real story either way as the story was identifying people in the camp and stating their claims. (But yes, if I was them, I wouldn't have used it at all at this stage - hey ho). Plane OD, Perocet, Walgreens, a six year battle with severe hip problems... I believe it all. And let me just say something else out loud here that I feel bad about... That plane story from TMZ. This could have been one hell of a wake up call for our beloved Prince. Indeed, I truly wish they'd gone out even stronger on day one. Called it an OD on prescription meds, said he almost died. Maybe then, just maybe, Prince would be too frightened or embarrassed to walk into Walgreens (I don't care which) and could still be with us today. I started the thread because it DOES seem like a ridiculous stance to back TMZ given what they are. But this event is so much better with them in it, than not. And they are a buffer against the REAL CRAP being said elsewhere. And they might have, just might have, saved the day by exposing his issues when they did. Alas... [Edited 4/28/16 2:39am]

All of that is all well and good but here's the thing...he is gone and no scoop from TMZ will change that. He was found around this time one week ago and TMZ cannot bring him back.

Therefore whether I find out information from TMZ in a hurry or from the Medical Examiner next week what's the difference? I'm not going to empower them to keep his family under surveillance and harassment just so I can know what happened a few days earlier than somebody else.

Furthermore, it's odd to pretend that ABC, NBC, ABC, CNN, New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, etc. don't exist? There is a lot more media than the ones you mentioned. On the one hand you're not repping TMZ but on the other hand I don't think you realize that your post comes off like an indirect advertisement to direct all traffic to TMZ who gets $$ for each click like the rest of them do.

My personal opinion is that one should never, ever get information from only one source. It is odd to suggest otherwise.

When I think it through I have decided that I'm content to wait for the actual press conference from the sheriff and medical examiner where we will all get the official word at the same time. Since nothing can be done to change what happened I would rather not enable the tabloids of the world with my clicks on their website. To me that just encourages them to invade the privacy and disrespect the dignity of more people in crisis and bereavement.

I would like to keep my support of vulture-like behaviour to a minimum even though I know it can't be eliminated completely.

No disrespect, I understand people's anxiousness but speaking only for myself ultimately what we find out and how soon matters less to me than just hoping that he is resting in peace on this one week anniversary of his passing.

babynoz said:

Harvey Levin knows the difference between speculation and fact, and there's going to be people who were close to Prince throughout his life coming out with some things that may or may not be true. It goes with the territory of any brilliant artist who had quirks and eccentricities. He'll still be respected for the work, but the man is going to have sides to him that were complicated that people have held back talking about.

We'll see over time what happens...

Question; has anyone here heard Drfunkenberry's podcast? He gives some insight when it comes to TMZ and a whole lot of P info, too. Prince 4ever!

McD said:

babynoz said:

My personal opinion is that one should never, ever get information from only one source. It is odd to suggest otherwis.

For clarity, I'm talking about TMZ versus the other sources that are posting news on him constantly. Like The Daily Star, The Daily Mail, the National Enquirer. TMZ said Prince 'wasn't looking good'. Five days later, he died. They said he was addicted to painkillers. The evidence for this is now pretty overwhelming. They said he left no will days before this was mentioned in court. And they haven't gone near the really bad stuff. So far, whatever you think of them, their track record on Prince has been peerless. And without them, all we would have is 'Prince died of AIDS' or 'Prince was murdered' for a whole month.

No worries. The sheriff and medical examiner will give us a statement eventually. In the meantime everybody's going to run here and post whatever TMZ and everybody else including other tabloid report, as well as mainstream networks, so there's no need for me to run over to TMZ anyway.

Ultimately who got the scoop doesn't change the outcome.....

I laugh at these anti-tmz people out here, the reasons tmz give for his death are totally valid.

A 57 year old doesn't simply die just like that... without any prior signs of weakness, which he did not show during his last shows.

There are only a couple of this that cause people to "just die" out of the blue:

1) A terminal ilness would have him chained to his bed weeks before the final call, so if he did have one, it was not at the last stages. But if he did have on, and he stopped taking medicine for it(namely aids) and got a "flu", death from from complications is very plausible.

2) He suffered from pain, the only way to battle this is pain meds, he is not an "average" person like you and I, so he can get access to some stronger meds, which, if not dosed carefully, cause respiratory complications and you are gone.

You anti-tmz people have any other more plausible choices? Let me hear em, I'd sure like to see what you think.

dalsh327 said:

Harvey Levin knows the difference between speculation and fact, and there's going to be people who were close to Prince throughout his life coming out with some things that may or may not be true. It goes with the territory of any brilliant artist who had quirks and eccentricities. He'll still be respected for the work, but the man is going to have sides to him that were complicated that people have held back talking about.

We'll see over time what happens...

It's all very voyeuristic, isn't it?

It saddens me to imagine Tyka and family looking over their shoulders afraid to leave the house or worried about what pics might surface or which opportunist will crawl out from under the next rock because they smell $$. It was bad enough to begin with but TMZ has taken it to the next level because they have deep pockets IMO.

Arunas said:

I laugh at these anti-tmz people out here, the reasons tmz give for his death are totally valid.

A 57 year old doesn't simply die just like that... without any prior signs of weakness, which he did not show during his last shows.

There are only a couple of this that cause people to "just die" out of the blue:

1) A terminal ilness would have him chained to his bed weeks before the final call, so if he did have one, it was not at the last stages. But if he did have on, and he stopped taking medicine for it(namely aids) and got a "flu", death from from complications is very plausible.

2) He suffered from pain, the only way to battle this is pain meds, h e is not an "average" person like you and I, so he can get access to some stronger meds, which, if not dosed carefully, cause respiratory complications and you are gone.

You anti-tmz people have any other more plausible choices? Let me hear em, I'd sure like to see what you think.

Choices of what exactly? Your speculation, theory and conjecture is no more or less valid than anybody else's. I laugh at people who actually think they are entitled to make any choices in the matter to begin with.

He is gone. The reality is that what I think I know or what you think you know or what TMZ thinks is of no consequence. Why should I rack up $$$ for TMZ with my clicks on their website so they can pay more corrupt people to give them intrusive information? How does that change anything for the better???

babynoz said:

Arunas said:

I laugh at these anti-tmz people out here, the reasons tmz give for his death are totally valid.

A 57 year old doesn't simply die just like that... without any prior signs of weakness, which he did not show during his last shows.

There are only a couple of this that cause people to "just die" out of the blue:

1) A terminal ilness would have him chained to his bed weeks before the final call, so if he did have one, it was not at the last stages. But if he did have on, and he stopped taking medicine for it(namely aids) and got a "flu", death from from complications is very plausible.

2) He suffered from pain, the only way to battle this is pain meds, h e is not an "average" person like you and I, so he can get access to some stronger meds, which, if not dosed carefully, cause respiratory complications and you are gone.

You anti-tmz people have any other more plausible choices? Let me hear em, I'd sure like to see what you think.

Choices of what exactly? Your speculation, theory and conjecture is no more or less valid than anybody else's. I laugh at people who actually think they are entitled to make any choices in the matter to begin with.

He is gone. The reality is that what I think I know or what you think you know or what TMZ thinks is of no consequence. Why should I rack up $$$ for TMZ with my clicks on their website so they can pay more corrupt people to give them intrusive information? How does that change anything for the better???

JasminMaria said:

TMZ belongs to Warner. Just sayin'.

To clarify, TMZ and WB Records are just two of the many subsidiaries owned by TimeWarner, Inc.

[Edited 4/28/16 10:27am]

derrick31 said:

Some people may not like them, but TMZ is legit.

Whether we like them or not what's the point of the OP saying....

So if it ain't on TMZ I think we should just ignore it. That's all.