Addiction Specialist Made Prince 911 Call
Prince was scheduled to meet with an addiction specialist to help curb his reliance on painkillers the day that he died, the Star Tribune reports.
According to the report, the day before Prince’s April 21st death, a representative for the singer called prominent California-based addiction specialist Dr. Howard Kornfeld, telling the doctor that Prince “was dealing with a grave medical emergency.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration have joined the investigation into the death of Prince, The Hollywood Reporter reports. “They have agreed to provide federal resources and expertise in our investigation,” Jason Kamerud, spokesman for the Carver County Sheriff’s Office said.
A week before Prince’s death, his private plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois as the singer dealt with what was then described as dehydration and the flu. Posthumous reports revealed that the singer allegedly overdosed on opioids and required a “save shot,” which is a potentially life-saving answer to illegal and prescription drug overdoses, said the report.
After receiving the April 20th emergency call, Dr. Kornfeld dispatched his son Andrew Kornfeld to Prince’s Paisley Park compound to discuss a treatment plan with the artist. Andrew Kornfeld arrived the following morning and Prince was found alone and unresponsive in his elevator. It was also Kornfeld who made the 911 call to Minnesota police alerting them of the situation.
“We’re at Prince’s house,” Andrew Kornfeld told 911 dispatchers, unsure of the address. “The people are just distraught… We’re in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and we are at the home of Prince.” At the time, Kornfeld was carrying a small amount of buprenorphine, a medication that helps curb addiction to painkillers.
“The plan was to quickly evaluate his health and devise a treatment plan,” William Mauzy, the Kornfeld family’s lawyer, told the newspaper. “The doctor was planning on a lifesaving mission.” Sources close to the investigation confirmed Mauzy’s claims to the Star Tribune, although the Carver County police department and Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson would not comment on the report.
Prince’s autopsy results are still pending. However, as more details emerge regarding the circumstances of Prince’s death, it’s been revealed that the singer likely had an addiction to painkillers stemming from chronic hip pain he suffered over the past few years; the singer used a cane during a few high profile public appearances including the 2013 Grammys and the 2015 Golden Globe Awards.
According to the Star Tribune, investigators are already treating Prince’s death as a criminal investigation and are looking into who provided the singer with opioids.