Only hours after the news of rock icon Prince’s death became public, gossip site TMZ obtained and released information which they purport indicates the “Purple Rain” singer’s cause of death was from something stronger than initially believed.
The site, which published a photo of Prince walking to his local pharmacy near his home in Minnesota only the day before his passing, also reported the pharmacy run was actually the “the 4th time he visited this week—indicating his health was far worse than the simple flu.”
The last trip was made at 7pm on Wednesday, April 20—mere hours before his death.
TMZ also noted the perplexing circumstances surrounding Prince’s illness—namely, an emergency stop made by his private plane near Moline, Illinois at 1am on Friday night, which his publicity reps said was executed to handle extreme symptoms to the flu the singer exhibited during the flight.
Despite both pieces of evidence, Prince’s heath seemed to have rebounded shortly after the incident occurred. The performer was seen at a dance party on Saturday night, where the singer allegedly (and in retrospect, ominously) said to the crowd, “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”
Prince was also seen biking near his estate, which many believed to be a sign of recovery.
The performer was found unresponsive in an elevator after the local police department received a call from Paisley Park Studios, the headquarters of Prince’s record label, early on Thursday morning. Prince was subsequently declared dead after authorities on the scene failed to revive him.
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