Popular musician Prince’s death was an accidental opioid or painkiller overdose, according to the Toxicology report of Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Minnesota, CNN reported. 

Twitter/indiatoday

According to the report, parts of which were released on Twitter, Prince self-administered an overdose of the opioid ‘Fentanyl’ on April 21st 2016 at Paisely Park, his Minnesota residence. He was found dead in the elevator, wearing a black cap and t shirt. 

According to the report, the pop superstar weighed 112 pounds at time of death, and was 5.25 inches in height. 

So what is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate, prescribed by doctors for treating Cancer patients undergoing Chemo. It is also prescribed in cases of intense pain, and it is one of the strongest painkillers in the market. It works by inducing a sense of artificial euphoria and relaxation.

A Schedule 2 drug, Fentanyl is said to be almost 100 times more strong than morphine, and 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin. In March 2015, the DEA issued a national alert on the dangers of unauthorized use of the drug, which has been on the rise. 

How did Prince get Fentanyl?

The musician had hip-pain problems, including orthopaedic surgery on his hips, which kept him in constant, debilitating pain. It could be possible that his doctors prescribed him the powerful opioid. It could also be that he, like countless others before him, began to abuse the substance and eventually died of an overdose. 

b’Representational Image| Source: Reuters’

Or he could have procured the drug illegally, considering how it is widely being circulated in America today as a drug for an easy and potent high, and is the cause of over a thousand deaths in the US, from 2005 to 2007. The official’s have refused to release a full autopsy report and investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death are still on. 

Prince also has a history for drug abuse, what with a previous addiction to Perocod, yet another opioid, and another case of overdose before he finally succumbed to this one. 

Celebrity deaths and overdose

WikiCommons

Dependence and abuse of drugs is a common phenomena among celebrities, and several reasons have frequently been cited to explain these behavior patterns. With the overdose, Prince joins the ranks of a long line of celebrities who died of an accidental drug overdose, such as Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Judy Garland among others. 

(Feature Image Source: Twitter/Elle and Reuters)