Prince death: Authorities investigating whether musician died of an overdose

Officials are also looking at whether drugs were on board his jet when it made an emergency landing a week before his death

Prince died aged 57 (Getty Images)

Authorities investigating the death of Prince are considering whether he could have died from an overdose.

They are also investigating whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks leading up to his sudden death, a law official familiar with the investigation has claimed.

The official spoke to the Associated Press a day after it was reported the pioneering musician was found with opioid prescription medication on him at the time of his sudden death.

Authorities quoted by several outlets said painkillers were also discovered in his Minnesota home and investigators are looking at what drugs were in the property.

They are also looking into whether a doctor was on a jet with Prince and whether any drugs were on board when it made an emergency in Illinois six days before his death, the official claims.

At the time, Prince’s spokesperson said he had been treated in hospital for flu-like symptoms. The official told AP Prince was found unconscious on the plane and given a shot of Narcan, which is a so-called ‘save-shot’ used in suspected opioid overdoses, when the jet was on the tarmac. He later returned to his Minneapolis home.

There have been unconfirmed reports Prince may have been using the painkiller Percocet before his death, with the singer Sheila E claiming he had suffered from years of jumping off risers during performances.

County sheriffs filed for a warrant under seal to search his Paisley Park home and recording studio on Thursday. The sealing of the warrant means its contents cannot be disclosed to the public.

NBC and CNN quoted officials as saying the US Drug Enforcement Administration had been asked to assist with the investigation and look at where the reported opioid painkillers came from, but Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud denied this was the case. “We might contact them to help us, but that hasn’t happened,” he said. “We don’t have the medical examiner’s report yet. We don’t know to what extent pharmaceuticals could be a part of this.”

Prince was found slumped in an elevator of his Paisley Park home on 21 April and pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. He was 57.

Results from an autopsy are still pending and it could take up to three weeks before Prince’s cause of death is announced to the public.