Prince's Death Investigation Has Taken a Grim Turn

This week, as investigators look into Prince’s tragic death at the age of 57, new details have emerged that appear to paint a tragic picture. Two days ago, investigators told the media that they are focusing on the role that painkillers might have played in the musician’s death. This news came shortly after a TMZ report claimed that Prince’s emergency landing days before his death was caused by a drug overdose. Today, the county sheriff investigating the death has asked for help from the Drug Enforcement Administration, as prescription painkillers were found in Prince’s possession when he died.

According to NBC News, the DEA’s role “will be to determine such things as where the medications came from, and what prescriptions Prince had obtained. DEA agents often check those records in death investigations.”

An autopsy was conducted last week, but the medical examiner said it will take weeks for the cause of death to be confirmed, and officials have not said what role the painkillers played in Prince’s collapse in his Minneapolis house.

This week, Michael Padden, an attorney for Prince’s siblings told the Star Tribune that Prince had “substantial” problems with opioid painkiller Percocet and cocaine for at least a decade. Meanwhile, the past week has been filled with touching tributes to the late musician, including a powerful performance by D'Angelo on The Tonight Show.