PRINCE’S DEATH: 4 MONTHS LATER, FEW ANSWERS
SILENCE, LEGAL QUESTIONS LINGER IN THE AFTERMATH
We know how Prince died, but we don’t know why. We know his staff and doctors tried to save him, but we don’t know who might have played a role in his death. We know he didn’t leave a will, but we don’t know why. We know his estate, especially his musical lega- cy, is worth millions but not exactly how much, and we don’t know if his famous “unreleased tapes in the vault” will ever be available to his grieving fans.
The questions still outnumber the answers four months after the pop icon was found dead April 21 in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate outside Minneapolis.
Why? Because the police investigating this high-profile celebrity death aren’t talking. Some court documents, such as full autopsy reports, are not public records under Minnesota law. Prince’s relatives, employees and friends, even his ex-wives, apparently knew less about the 57-year-old star’s habits than they thought. And because Prince did not leave a will, the probate proceeding is even more complicated — and non-transparent — than usual.
Here’s the official response from the law firm representing Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson: “Out of respect for Prince’s family and attorney/client privilege, we are not commenting on this matter,” said Lynn Shelander, marketing manager for the Gray Plant Mooty firm of Minneapolis, in an email to USA TODAY.
Here’s what we know and don’t know:
The shock of his CAUSE OF DEATH: death was followed in June by the shock of its cause: Prince died from an accidental, self-inflicted overdose of the painkiller fenta-
nyl, according to the Midwest Medical Examiner, which conducted the autopsy in Carver County, Minn.
Was the famously clean-living Prince a longtime drug abuser or a first-time user? We may never know because full autopsy reports are not public under Minnesota law, and they generally remain private for at least 30 years.
STATUS OF THE INVESTIGATION:
The Carver County Sheriff ’s Office is investigating, along with help from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, whether any crimes were committed in connection with his death. For example: Were any doctors knowingly overprescribing powerful painkillers to Prince?
Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud, who is leading the investigation for the Sheriff ’s Office, has little to say about the status of the inquiry aside from that it remains open and “continues to move along, albeit slowly,” he said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Leo Hawkins, special agent and public information officer for the DEA Chicago office, told USA TODAY he has nothing to report.
Shortly before his WHO KNEW: death, a member of Prince’s staff called the California clinic operated by Howard Kornfeld, a specialist in treating painkiller addiction, and told him Prince was in the throes of a “grave medical emergency.”
Kornfeld sent his son, who is not a doctor, to meet with Prince and to hand over to a local doctor — it’s not clear who — a small amount of buprenorphine, the drug Kornfeld typically prescribes to help wean addicts from opioids. Andrew Kornfeld, arriving at Paisley Park on April 21, was one of three people to discover Prince’s body in the elevator.
In addition, a local doctor named Michael Todd Schulenberg, who specializes in family medicine, had treated Prince just before his death; that morning, Schulenberg arrived at Paisley Park with test results for the singer.
Are the Kornfelds and Schulenberg — or anyone else — targets of the police investigation? No one is saying.
What did Prince’s staff know about his use of painkillers, and when did they know it? And why did they leave Prince alone the night before his death if he was suffering from a grave medical emergency?
SIZE OF PRINCE’S ESTATE:
Is it worth $300 million or $100 million or something else? Its major asset is Prince’s musical legacy, including the much-talked-about “tapes in the vault” of unreleased music. Has the vault been opened? Tapes found?
So far, Bremer Trust, the special administrator of the estate appointed by probate Judge Kev- in Eide, has not said anything about this, and its team of lawyers does not respond to media inquiries. But assessing value is important because it affects the hefty tax bill the estate will owe to Uncle Sam and to Minnesota, due in January.
What is known is that sales of Prince’s music surged dramatically after his death; his musical catalog is almost certainly worth more now — and growing — than at the time of his death.
According to Nielsen data, Prince album sales per week went up an eye-popping 11,500% the week after his death and by Aug. 8 were still 254% higher than the week before his death. Digital song sales per week surged 13,800% about two weeks after his death and still are about 15% higher today than the week before his death.
“(His) numbers are still dramatically inflated” four months later, says David Bakula, music analyst for Nielsen. “The news cycle has slowed down; people are not talking about Prince’s death the way they were before. But that’s how the music lives on: All these people are realizing what an incredible talent he was, and that’s not going to go away.”
What about his planned memoir, The Beautiful Ones? He had submitted the first 50 pages before his death, so will it be repurposed and released as a biography with another author? Publisher Random House has no comment on its status, said Theresa Zoro, head of publicity, in an email to USA TODAY.
In the drive to liquidate to meet its tax obligations, the estate is trying to unload other major assets, such as properties Prince owned locally and elsewhere in the USA and abroad. Last week, Bremer Trust received Eide’s approval to sell seven properties, most of which are local but also including a multimillion-dollar villa Prince has owned since 2010 in Turks and Caicos, the British territory in the northern Caribbean.
IDENTITY OF HIS HEIRS:
Preliminary rulings from Bremer Trust have narrowed the list to the six siblings first named shortly after Prince’s death: Full sister Tyka Nelson; and half-siblings Sharon, Norrine and John Nelson, Alfred Jackson Jr. and Omarr Baker. Also, there are possible heirs who are descended from a man who believed he was Prince’s halfbrother through his father. They will undergo genetic testing to confirm or deny that.
OFFICIAL TRIBUTE CONCERT:
Although several concert tributes have been organized by Prince’s friends and admirers, his family says the only “official” tribute will be in October.
Tyka Nelson announced on Facebook that the concert will be Oct. 13 at a stadium in Minneapolis. “We are excited for the opportunity to bring everyone together for the official family celebration of Prince’s life, music and legacy, and there is no better place to do it than his hometown of Minneapolis,” according to the family’s statement to the Associated Press. “We are honored by the artists who will pay tribute and grateful to those that have worked so hard to make this celebration possible.”
Performers have not yet been announced and ticket sales have not yet begun.