Prince: Police question doctor who treated musician on day before his death

Detectives investigating the death of Prince have questioned doctor who showed up at his home the morning he died only to be informed that he was dead.

As officers returned to Prince’s estate on Tuesday to conduct a further search, legal documents filed by police and made public by a judge, showed that the doctor had treated Prince twice in recent weeks and had seen him the day the day before he collapsed and died.

The doctor, Michael Schulenberg, is not accused of any wrongdoing. Police are investigating whether the musician died from an overdose.

open image in gallery

The affidavit was filed by an investigator for the sheriff’s office in Carver County, where Prince lived. Dr Schulenberg, who practices family medicine, also saw Prince on April 7, the day he canceled a show in Atlanta, the warrant said.

During his two visits, Mr Schulenberg performed tests and prescribed medication for an undisclosed ailment, the affidavit said. Mr Schulenberg said he had arrived at Prince’s compound to turn over the test results.

The warrant, details of which were released to various media organisations, also sought medical records from the North Memorial Medical Centre, which is part of the health system where Mr Schulenberg used to work.

In the days after the shockwaves triggered by the musician’s death reverberated around the world, officials said that determining a cause of death could take weeks.

open image in gallery

A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that investigators were looking into whether the 57-year-old died from an overdose, and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death.

The details revealed by investigators confirm that the performer was receiving medical treatment in the days before his death. He also was preparing to be treated for an opioid dependency from a California doctor, Howard Kornfeld.

Dr Kornfeld sent his son Andrew, who is not a doctor, because he could not immediately fly to Minnesota and had arranged for Prince to be evaluated by a doctor there on the day he died. Andrew Kornfeld was one of those who found the star unconscious in an elevator at his home.

Prince’s treatment on 7 April came on the day he cancelled shows in Atlanta, citing illness. He then went on to play alternative shows on 14 April.

During his return home on 15 April, his plane made an emergency stop in Moline, Illinois.

The law enforcement official told the news agency that the musician had been found unconscious on the plane and given a shot of Narcan, used in suspected opioid overdoses.

Mr Schulenberg told a detective that he was dropping off test results when he discovered the singer, according to the warrant. He told officials that he had prescribed Prince “medicine”, with the prescription to be filled at a Walgreens store.

The warrant sought “any and all medical records, documents, reports, charts, photographs, prescriptions, doctor notes and medical images for Prince Rogers Nelson”.