More Information About Prince’s Cause Of Death Emerges Following Autopsy

As fans across the globe still struggle to come to terms with the shock loss of Prince, authorities in the US are working to determine what exactly caused the beloved musical icon’s death.

An autopsy has been carried out at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Prince’s home state of Minnesota, after the 57-year-old legend was found dead inside his household elevator on Thursday, and preliminary results have shed a little more light on the mystery surrounding his death.

Unfortunately, so far all that we seem to know is what didn’t kill Prince.

The Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson has told a press conference that there were “no obvious signs of trauma” on Prince’s body when he was found, adding: “A sign of trauma would be some sign of violence that had happened, there was no sign of that at all”.

Investigators also seem to have ruled out the possibility that Prince took his own life.

“We have no reason to believe at this point that this was a suicide,” the Sheriff said. “But again, this is early on in the investigation and we’re continuing to investigate.”

According to the local medical examiner’s office, Prince’s autopsy results will take days, while the results of a full toxicology scan could take weeks.

It comes after reports from gossip site TMZ that Prince was treated for a painkiller overdose in the week prior to his death, and rescued from the brink of flat-lining with a “save shot” that was administered after his plane made an emergency landing.

But when quizzed about whether the rocker’s death could be linked to the overdose, the Sheriff refused to comment.

“This case is currently under investigation and I’m not going to talk about that at this time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prince’s friend and record producer LA Reid has told NBC’s Today Show that the songwriting master was healthy and totally clean of drugs when he died.

“The thing that really bothers me about it is the Prince I know was super-healthy, vegan, wasn’t an abuser of drugs, wasn’t an abuser of alcohol,” Reid said (via the ABC). “He was clean and he looked young and he looked really healthy and vibrant, so the whole thing is really mysterious to me.”

Naturally, heartbroken tributes to the great Purple One have been flooding in from his fans and peers and even mother nature herself, while monuments across the world have been turning purple for Prince.

We’ll bring you more news regarding his cause of death as it develops.

Gallery: Prince’s Life In Pictures

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