Prince Died From Accidental Overdose of Opioid Painkiller

Prince, the music icon who struggled with debilitating hip pain during his career, died from an accidental overdose of self-administered fentanyl, a type of synthetic opiate, officials in Minnesota said Thursday.

The news ended weeks of speculation about the sudden death of the musician, who had a reputation for clean living but who appears to have developed a dependency on medications to treat his pain.

Authorities have yet to discuss how he came to be in possession of the fentanyl and whether it had been prescribed by a doctor.

Officials had waited several weeks for the results of a toxicology test undertaken as part of an autopsy performed after he was found dead April 21 in an elevator at his estate. He was preparing to enroll in an opioid treatment program when he died at 57, according to the lawyer for a doctor who was planning to treat him.

Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/arts/music/prince-death-overdose-fentanyl.html