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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesPrince died at Paisley Park on April 21, 2016, from an accidental, self-administered fentanyl overdose, according to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office. Investigators concluded that he believed he was taking Vicodin, but counterfeit pills represented as the painkiller contained fentanyl. They could not establish who supplied the pills. In 2018, prosecutors closed the investigation without criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence.
How did Prince die?
Prince was 57 when he was found unresponsive at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016, and pronounced dead there. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office announced on June 2 that the cause and manner of death were an accidental, self-administered fentanyl overdose. The court-hosted warrant affidavit documents the response and investigation; the finding was also reported in the Star Tribune’s timeline.
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“Self-administered” describes how the drug entered his body; it does not establish that he knowingly took fentanyl. Prosecutors said Prince believed he was taking Vicodin. Investigators found pills represented as hydrocodone that contained fentanyl, indicating they were counterfeit. The distinction matters: the official finding was fentanyl overdose, while the account of what Prince thought he was taking came from prosecutors’ description of the investigation.
What did investigators determine about the pills?
Investigative reporting in 2016 described pills marked as hydrocodone that were seized at Paisley Park and found to contain fentanyl. In 2018, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz said Prince had not known the pills were counterfeit. ABC News quoted Metz saying, “Prince had no idea he was taking a counterfeit pill that could kill him.” That is the prosecutor’s characterization of the investigative findings, not a separate statement by the medical examiner.
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The Associated Press later reported that experts who reviewed a confidential toxicology report characterized the fentanyl concentrations as “exceedingly high.” That description reflects experts’ interpretation of confidential records; it is not a publicly released numerical concentration from the medical examiner. The AP report does not provide a figure to quote as an official statistic.
Who supplied the counterfeit pills?
Investigators could not determine who supplied the pills or where Prince obtained them. That unresolved question is not answered by the medical examiner’s cause-of-death finding. The investigation’s public outcome does not support naming an associate, physician, or other person as the source of the counterfeit pills.
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Reuters reported separately on a civil settlement involving a prescription and said the physician was not a target of the criminal investigation into Prince’s death. A civil settlement is not a criminal conviction and does not establish that the physician supplied the fatal pills.
Was anyone charged?
No. On April 19, 2018, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz announced that prosecutors would file no criminal charges because the evidence was insufficient to charge anyone in connection with Prince’s death. The decision closed the criminal investigation without identifying a supplier or establishing criminal responsibility for any person. Reuters covered the announcement, as did the Star Tribune’s case timeline.
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Prince’s death investigation: key dates
- April 21, 2016: Prince was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at Paisley Park.
- June 2, 2016: The medical examiner announced an accidental, self-administered fentanyl overdose as the cause and manner of death.
- August 2016: Investigative reporting said pills marked as hydrocodone had been found to contain fentanyl.
- April 19, 2018: Prosecutors announced that no criminal charges would be filed because they could not establish the source of the pills and lacked sufficient evidence to charge anyone.
For context on Prince’s work rather than the circumstances of his death, his official discography documents the 1984 album Purple Rain.
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