Prince Saw Doctor Day Before Death
Prince visited a Minnesota doctor, who prescribed him “medications and prescriptions,” twice before his death in April, including the day before, The Associated Press reports.
Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg treated Prince on April 7th and April 20th, according to a search warrant filed in Hennepin County. The warrant, however, did not specify what medications Prince was given or whether he took them. The musician died April 21st at his Paisley Park home in suburban Minneapolis. He was 57.
Investigators interviewed Schulenberg and searched a hospital near Minneapolis where he worked. A spokesperson for the North Memorial Medical Center said that Schulenberg worked as a primary care physician at the Minnetonka clinic, but no longer worked for the health care system.
Authorities also returned to Paisley Park park tonight, May 10th. Officials did not specify what they were looking for, though the Carver County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud told the AP that investigators were “being thorough.”
Prince’s initial autopsy to determine cause of death was inconclusive and the Midwest Medical Examiners Office continues to await the return of toxicology tests. But investigators have focused on the musician’s alleged addiction to painkillers, stemming from chronic hip pain he suffered over the past few years. Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration have joined the investigation.
Prince was reportedly in possession of painkillers at the time of his death, while days before, his private plane was forced to make an emergency landing for medical reasons and he was reportedly given a shot of Narcan, an opioid antidote. Per a report from the Star Tribune last week, Prince was scheduled to meet with an addiction specialist the day he died.