Ramsey, Minnesota – A four-hour autopsy on music superstar Prince was conducted on Friday at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Ramsey, Minnesota, CNN reported. Investigators didn’t find evidence of trauma on his body, Sheriff Jim Olson said. He also clarified that there are no obvious signs of suicide, but it could take weeks to have the complete set of results, Martha Weaver said.
The Sheriff’s Office released the news on Friday afternoon, but the medical examiner’s office said that it would not publish any details until all the results are obtained.
The autopsy began early Friday, a day after Prince’s death stunned the world. The 57-year-old music star’s full name was Prince Rogers Nelson. He was found dead in an elevator at his studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
Authorities said paramedics unsuccessfully tried to perform CPR to revive him and Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.
Earlier this month, the worldwide acclaimed artist postponed two shows he’d been set to perform at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The Fox said in a statement that he was “battling the flu.” Prince was able to take the stage a week later to perform unusually short sets, with each one lasting 80 minutes. It was just him at his piano playing his classic songs.
On April 15, he made an emergency landing as he was headed back home to Minnesota. The star was rushed to a hospital in Moline, Illinois. He appeared on Saturday before a group of fans at a Paisley Park dance party, where he was shown a new purple Yamaha piano and a guitar that was made for the artist in Europe.
Minneapolis Star Tribune critic Jon Bream wrote on Sunday that his appearance was intended to prove he was well after the exaggerated reports of his health. Bream pointed out that Prince showed off his new guitar but didn’t play it. His appearance wasn’t aimed at performing at all.
Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’
Prince earned 30 Grammy nominations and won seven awards. He was known for creating the so-called Minneapolis sound, a unique and funky blend of synth, pop, and new wave. He was considered an iconic figure of the 1980s, though his fame never fell through the years. The artist reached the height of fame with “Purple Rain” a 1984 film about an aspiring musician, his budding romance, and struggles in life.
“When I heard (the news of his death), it was like the finality of a giant chapter of my life knowing that there would be no more music,” said Allison Werthmann-Radnich, a fan who danced on the streets of Minneapolis as a tribute to Prince, CNN reported.
Source: CNN