Opioid medication found on Prince: reports

Numerous media outlets in the US are reporting that opioid medication was found on Prince at the time of his death and at his home.

Flowers lay on a T-shirt signed by fans of singer Prince at a memorial

A US court has appointed special administrators to handle the estate of music superstar Prince. (AAP)

Authorities investigating the death of Prince found prescription opioid medication on him, according to news reports.

CNN reported the pain-killing substance was found on Prince, while the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported that prescription pills were found where the musician died last week aged 57 at his home in Minneapolis.

The reports were based on unidentified law enforcement sources and surfaced on the same day court records showed a judge appointed a bank to safeguard the music legend's estate.

Reuters could not independently confirm the reports and local law enforcement officials were not immediately available for comment.

Various news outlets, including CNN, also reported that local enforcement has requested the US Drug Enforcement Administration to assist in the investigation.

Police have said they found no signs of suicide or obvious trauma in the death of Prince and it could take weeks before autopsy results reveal how the groundbreaking performer died.

The Star Tribune said authorities were trying to determine what, if any, role opioids might have played in Prince's death.

The intensely private musician, whose hits included Purple Rain and When Doves Cry, was found dead in an elevator at his home in suburban Minneapolis last Thursday, shocking millions of fans around the world and prompting glowing tributes by fellow musicians.

Also on Wednesday, a judge in Carver County, Minnesota, acting on a request from Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, named Bremer Trust, National Association as special administrator to handle his estate, which is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.

Prince's sister asked for the bank to be appointed, saying it dealt with the singer's affairs for years.

A probate hearing in the case was scheduled for May 2, according to state court documents and a court spokesman.

The Bremer Trust now has the authority to manage and supervise the late music legend's assets and determine the identity of his heirs, the court documents said.

Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, was married and divorced twice. Nelson on Tuesday listed herself and five half siblings as his heirs.


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Source: AAP


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