The autopsy of Prince Rogers Nelson, known to the world as simply “Prince,” has been completed, the coroner’s office announced today.
The procedure lasted four hours and was finished by 1 p.m. central time, and the body will be released to the family later today.
While fans eagerly await the official cause of death, results will likely not be available for several weeks.
“Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office will not release information until the exam is complete and all results are obtained,” read a statement released by the coroner.
“Gathering the results will take several days and the results of a full toxicology scan could likely take weeks,” the statement continued.
The office also stated that Prince’s medical and family history will be analyzed as part of a complete exam.
“Anything which could be relevant to the investigation will be taken into consideration,” the coroner continued.
Yesterday, Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator in his Minnesota home at age 57.
He was pronounced dead after EMTs failed to resuscitate him with CPR.
As the world mourns the artist who Justin Timberlake called “our greatest living musician,” fans are trying to make sense of Prince’s untimely death.
Yesterday, TMZ reported that the Purple One had been treated for a drug overdose just six days before he died.
Today, sources revealed that Prince had been taking Percoset to relieve pain in his hips, and that he had OD’d on the opiate.
At the time, reps for the artist said he had been suffering from the flu, but given that his plane made an emergency landing to treat him, many suspected there was more to the story.
Matt Fink, a former keyboardist for Prince’s band The Revolution, was one of the skeptics.
“I can’t believe it was flu related,” Fink said.
We will keep you posted with further news related to Prince and his cause of death.
