Prince Reportedly Had Percocet in His System When He Died
Prince reportedly had the potent painkiller Percocet in his system, according to law enforcement sources close to the investigation into his death on April 21.
The Minneapolis ABC news affiliate has confirmed that the autopsy uncovered traces of the drug, but the exact amount has not been revealed. Percocet contains oxycodone and acetaminophen and although Prince suffered from hip problems, it's not yet clear if he was prescribed the painkiller or if he got them another way.
The sources also said Prince had a dangerously low red blood cell count, which means he had been sick. Investigators still don't know the official cause of death and the toxicology report might not be released for several weeks.
According to TMZ, law enforcement in Minnesota are investigating three possible crimes: his doctors’ potential overprescription of the medicine; aliases Prince or his doctors might have used to obtain them; and illegal prescription filling by the pharmacies that filled the orders. TMZ also reports that Prince had prescriptions filled at least four times in the seven days prior to his death, and at least one of the pharmacies was more than six miles from his home — much further than eight other drug stores in the area.
Yesterday, reports surfaced that Prince had been scheduled to meet with an opioid addiction specialist the day after he died. Another doctor was allegedly at the singer's home when he was found dead and might be the person who called 911.