Autópsia confirma que Prince morreu por overdose de opioides

O músico Prince morreu devido a uma overdose do opiode Fentanyl, de acordo com os resultados finais da autópsia revelados nesta quinta-feira pelo Midwest Medical Examiners Office de Ramsey, em Minnesota (EUA).

O relatório clínico foi divulgado publicamente depois de a imprensa americana ter antecipado hoje a causa da morte do artista, de 57 anos. As conclusões da autópsia apontam para uma overdose de Fentanyl no último dia 21 de abril.

De acordo com a descrição disponível no site do Instituto Nacional sobre Abuso de Drogas (NIDA, na sigla em inglês), o Fentanyl é um opiáceo sintético "similar à morfina, mas mais potente". Segundo o NIDA, o Fentanyl costuma ser usado no tratamento de pacientes com dores intensas ou crônicas , ou após uma operação.

O relatório do centro médico revelou, além disso, que o músico pesava 50,8 quilos no momento da morte.

Desde a morte do músico, diferentes informações apontavam para o consumo excessivo de opioides como o possível motivo de seu falecimento. Na época, o site "TMZ" publicou que Prince tinha sido hospitalizado por uma overdose de Percocet, outro opioide, seis dias antes de sua morte.

Além disso, funcionários do artista entraram em contato com Howard Kornfeld, um especialista em tratamento de vício em opioides, um dia antes da morte de Prince.

Fonte: EFE

Prince's family starts dividing the late singer's assets

Prince Rogers Nelson left no known will and his assets are estimated to be worth about $100 million (£68 million).

The singer died at his Paisley Park compound outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota on 21 April.

His sister, Tyka Nelson, and half-siblings are the apparent heirs to his estate, authorities have said.

Ms Nelson and and Prince's half-sibling Alfred Jackson attended a hearing on Monday at the Carver County courthouse in Minnesota, where lawyers began surveying the singer's estate.

If no will is found, the state will determine how the money is divvied up.

During the short hearing, Judge Kevin Eide formally appointed Bremer Trust National Association as the special administration to oversee Prince's probate case.

One attorney said there is an "ongoing search" for a will.

Investigators are still determining how to singer, songwriter and producer died.

Prescription painkillers were in the singer's possession when he died. But it is unclear what role, if any, those drugs may have played.

A law enforcement official confirmed to the Associated Press investigators are looking into whether Prince died from a drug overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death.

They are also looking at whether a doctor was on a plane that made an emergency landing in Illinois less than a week before the singer died. He was taken to a hospital in Illinois, but was treated and released a few hours later.

A vault containing unreleased Prince songs was found at his estate and will be drilled open by the company with temporary authority over his estate, according to ABC News.

He told US TV programme The View about his unreleased music in 2012.

"One day, someone will release them. I don't know that I'll get to release them," he said. "There's just so many."

Enough music was apparently left behind to release an album a year for the next century.

His former recording engineer, Susan Rodgers, said "We could put out more work in a month than most people could do in a year or more."

Source: BBC