Heartbreaking images inside Prince's mansion just after he was found dead
Left, Prince enters a clinic of Dr Michael Todd Schulenberg on April 20, 2016, the day before he was found dead of an accidental fentanyl overdose. Right, an image from inside his home. Photo / AP
Chilling images taken inside Prince's Paisley Park compound moments after his body was found have been released by cops which show bottles of drugs, wads of cash and personal belongings piled up in the compound where he spent his last days holed up.
The images reveal a home festooned in the singer's achievements, yet strangely lacking of many personal touches, such as photos of friends or family, the Daily Mail reported.
Sadly, it also revealed Prince's battle with drugs, with pills bottles found scattered throughout the multimillion-dollar home, where he had lived for almost all of his adult life, along with a vault full of files, drugs and cash.
The investigators also released a video, which was taken moments after the singer's body was discovered at an elevator on the ground floor of the compound on April 21, 2016.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.The investigators' footage showed Prince's body lying on the ground. An autopsy later found that he had died from an accidental drugs overdose.
The images and video of the 57-year-old's final days were released on the same day that officials announced no criminal charges would be pursued in the singer's death.
One set of photos show a messy dresser full of beauty products and make-up, revealing the 57-year-old's obsession with appearing young and beautiful.
The counter was stock-full of expensive moisturising creams such as La Mer which sells for hundreds of dollars, as well as an array of other products such as exfoliators and cover-up makeup. A box of hair dye could be seen sat atop a full carry case which also featured a bundle of cash and jars of pills.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.He also had numerous boxes of vitamins and supplements, while a list, which appears to have been written by one of Prince's doctors, set out a regime of drugs and supplements for stress and weight loss.
The legendary performer's iconic style can also be seen reflected throughout his home, with heavenly themed murals and even a pair of eyes watching over the house from above. His symbol, which Prince famously once demanded he only be referred to as, was also represented all over the Paisley Park mansion, from murals and artwork, to a giant symbol on the floor of the main entertaining space.
A shoe rack in another room reveals just a fraction of Prince's glamorous shoe collection, featuring dozens of high heels, glittery gold and silver footwear.
Pictures of Prince feature all over the house, with entire doors covered with his different looks throughout the decades, while his many accolades, awards and gold and platinum were dotted around the hallways and rooms.
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The video also showed some of Prince's idiosyncrasies. On one desk, among the piles of cash, sat a Bible and a dictionary and thesaurus, as well as what appears to be some hand-painted artwork.
Another picture showed a pile of white powder on a desk, next to a silver spoon, on a desk, while investigators also found what appears to be the singer's local library card.
The footage and photos paint a picture of an aging, isolated performer, whose life had come to revolve around drugs.
Officials said that their investigation into the singer's death was not able to conclusively determine who had supplied Prince with the Fentanyl-laced pills that resulted in his fatal overdose.
The investigation did reveal however that Prince himself had no idea the pills contained Fentanyl, with officials stating that the singer thought he was taking Vicodin in the days and weeks leading up to his death.
This would suggest that neither Prince or those close to him knew that he was addicted to Fentanyl at the time of his death.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.Prince died of a self-administered Fentanyl overdose according to an autopsy report released by the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office.
The 57-year-old singer's death was ruled an accident, and the only listed cause on the medical examiner's report was "Fentanyl toxicity".
Dr Michael Todd Schulenberg, who is accused of illegally prescribing an opioid painkiller for Prince just one week before the musician died, has agreed to pay US$30,000 ($41.600) to settle a federal civil violation.
"The bottom line is we simply do not have sufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime related to Prince's death," Mark Metz, the attorney of Carver County, home to Prince's Paisley Park estate, told reporters.
Others who cared for the singer are still waiting to see if state prosecutors file any criminal charges following their two-year investigation into Prince's death.
"To actively charge a crime requires probable cause and a reasonable likelihood of conviction. The bottom line is that we simply do not have sufficient evidence to charge anyone with a crime related to Prince's death," said Mark Metz, the Carver County attorney on Thursday.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.Prince's autopsy revealed that the 5ft 3in singer weighed just 112lbs at the time of his death, and that he was dressed entirely in black (cap, pants, shirt, socks and boxer briefs) when his unresponsive body was discovered on April 21 inside an elevator at his Paisley Park estate just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Prince's former drug dealer believed opioids were behind the singer's death when he spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com.
He also revealed that the performer would spend up to US$40,000 on six-month supplies of two drugs - Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches.
Prince's dealer - who asked to be identified as Doctor D - said that he sold drugs to Prince from 1984 to 2008 and described the singer as "majorly addicted".
He sold him the drugs he explained because Prince was too afraid of doctors to obtain a prescription, but also had stage fright and needed them to get out and perform on stage.
Officials had said that the main reason the federal authorities had been brought in was so the investigation could cover the multiple states Prince had visited in the weeks before his death.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.Prince's private jet made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, six days before he died so he could be rushed to hospital.
The singer, who was flying from a show in Atlanta, was treated for flu and did not stay the night at the hospital.
He appeared at a dance party in Minnesota just days before his death to let his fans know he was recovering, telling them: "Wait a few days before you waste any prayers."
Prince was last pictured the night before his death leaving a Walgreen's near his home around 7pm, marking the fourth time the singer had been to the pharmacy that week.
An hour later, he headed back inside his vast estate and 13 hours later he was found by friend Kirk Johnson and personal assistant Meron Bekure lying unresponsive in an elevator.
Paramedics performed CPR upon arriving on the scene five minutes after receiving a 911 call but were not successful in reviving the singer.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.Officials later stated that the singer was likely dead for approximately six hours before his body was found.
An autopsy was performed the following day.
Metz concluded that Prince thought he was taking another drug, Vicodin, when instead the pills he had were packed with Fentanyl. Where those pills came from remains a mystery.
"In all likelihood, Prince had no idea he was taking a counterfeit pill that could kill him," Metz said.
"There is no evidence that the pill or pills that actually killed Prince were prescribed by a doctor. There is also no evidence to suggest any other sinister motive, intent or conspiracy to murder Prince."
Metz acknowledged that someone gave Prince the deadly pills, saying: "There is no doubt that the actions of individuals around Prince will be criticised, questioned and judged in the days and weeks to come."
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.But he added: "Suspicions and innuendo are categorically insufficient to support any criminal charges."
Prince's death stunned fans and bandmates as he was outwardly a model of health who rarely drank alcohol, ate a vegetarian diet and would boot musicians who abused drugs out of his studio.
But the Purple Rain star, who over the course of his career won seven Grammy Awards and was so versatile he could literally play guitar blind-folded behind his back, secretly suffered from pain stemming from a hip operation.
In his death, Prince - who had kept pills in bottles marked with over-the-counter labels such as Bayer and Aleve - became the most famous face of the epidemic of painkiller abuse in the United States.
Last year, more than 42,000 people died and 2.1 million others abused opioids around the country, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, with lower-middle-class white communities especially hard-hit.
"Prince's death is a tragic example that opioid addiction and overdose deaths do not discriminate, no matter the demographic," Metz said.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.Prince's sudden death set off a messy battle to determine control of his estate - estimated to be worth up to US$300 million with an untold number of songs still pending in his legendary vaults.
Prince left no will and had no spouse or surviving child, meaning control went to his siblings.
His Paisley Park estate, once a hideaway of mythic proportions which fans boasted of being able to enter, has since been opened for tours as his estate looks to monetise his legacy.
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