Prince's health issues in spotlight after sudden death
MINNEAPOLIS --Legendary musicianPrince's health issues ranged from hip surgery in recent years to an emergency landing last week for flu treatment before his death at the age of 57.
Prince was found unresponsive Thursday morning in an elevator at his suburban Minneapolis compound. The local sheriff said deputies responded to a medical call at 9:43 a.m. that morning but that first-responders couldn't revive the iconic musician. He was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said at a news conference Friday afternoon that there were "no obvious signs of trauma" to Prince's body.
There was "no reason to believe that this was a suicide," Olson said.
The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy Friday but Olson said the results, including a cause of death, could take several weeks.
Dr. A. Quinn Strobl took four hours to perform the autopsy, medical examiner's office spokeswoman Martha Weaver said. The body was being released to Prince's family.
"Entertainment Tonight" co-host Kevin Frazier said on "CBS This Morning" Friday that Prince had hip replacement surgery in 2010 and also had issues with his ankles.
"People close to Prince tell me he struggled with painkillers due to his hip and ankle issues," Frazier said, noting that for Prince to cancel a performance, as he did this month, "something was drastically wrong."
"The hip and ankle issues were a problem for him for so long," Frazier said, "and for a man who loved to move and dance so much, it really bothered him."
His former percussionist, Sheila E., told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday that Prince damaged his hips while performing, saying he jumped off risers while wearing high heels during his "Purple Rain" days and that "it damaged parts of his body." Prince was seen in recent years using a cane.
Prince had canceled concerts in Atlanta, citing the flu. He performed a makeup concert April 14 in that city, apologizing to the crowd shortly after coming on stage for the earlier cancellation.
While talking to the crowd between songs, he joked about having been "under the weather," giving a slight smile. His voice seemed a bit weak at times when he spoke, but he sounded fine when singing during the 80-minute show, which featured "Nothing Compares 2 U" and his finale, "Baby, I'm A Star."
He sat at his piano for most of the show, but stood up at times to pound the keys and walked around the piano a couple of times, soaking up cheers.
It would be his final big performance. On the flight home, Prince's plane made an emergency landing in Illinois. His publicist said it was the flu, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment.
On Friday, a promoter said Prince was slated to perform a surprise set of shows earlier this week in St. Louis but canceled because of health concerns. Promoter Steve Litman said that he'd been working for weeks to set up two surprise pop-up shows on April 18 at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Litman is executive producer for concerts at the theatre.
Litman said tickets were set to go on sale April 15, but that Prince's representatives told him late on April 14 that Prince needed to back out because of concern he might have to cancel the shows due to illness.
In a 2009 interview with Tavis Smiley, Prince revealed that he was "born epileptic" and had seizures when he was young. It's unclear if his epilepsy carried into adulthood.
A transcript from a 911 call shows an unidentified male phoned in Thursday's emergency, telling the dispatcher "we're at Prince's house" and "the person is dead here," but the caller struggled to figure out the exact address, CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports.
On the streets of Minneapolis Thursday night, thousands of fans celebrated Prince as he would've wanted them to - with a sing-along and an all-night dance party.
"Love Prince," Johnette Jordan told CBS. "I mean, the guy could play every instrument. He brought a lot of other artists with him, and no one could do a slow song like Prince."
Prince, a Jehovah's Witness, had a reputation for clean living. In 2009, he told an interviewer with the Los Angeles Times that he didn't do drugs "or I'd give you a joint" to share while they listened to music.
After the Atlanta performance, Prince hosted a dance party on April 16 at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota.
Jeremiah Freed, who runs the website drfunkenberry.com and who got to know Prince after writing about him over the years, said he last saw Prince at the dance party. Freed said he believed Prince held the party to show everyone he was fine.
Freed said Prince made a brief appearance but that he didn't have one-on-one time with the musician that night. Freed said the artist showed off a new purple piano he had received as a gift, as well as a purple guitar, but seemed upset about the reports of an illness.
"When he had to talk about the stories going on, he didn't seem too pleased. It was kind of like, 'I'm here. I'm good,'" Freed said, adding that Prince told the crowd: "Just wait a few days before saying your prayers."
Lars Larson, a 37-year-old Minneapolis man who worked security for Prince and at Paisley Park events for about six years, said he attended the same party. Larson said the singer briefly appeared on stage and spoke to the crowd before standing by the sound board for 20 minutes then disappearing for the night.
"He seemed great. He looked like Prince," he said. "The whole point of the show on Saturday was to show he was doing all right."