Whenever someone like Prince dies at a fairly early age, the rumor mills start churning out stories about what happened. Conspiracy theories abound as almost everyone loves a good story when it’s about celebrities. So exactly how did Prince die? At the age of 57, he wasn’t exactly old—just barely old enough to get the senior citizen discount at some grocery stores.
Prince’s death under investigation
Official news stories state that the 80s pop icon was found dead at his home as his Paisley Park Estate in Minnesota and that police are investigating the cause of death. TMZ reported last week that Prince’s private jet made an emergency landing near Moline, Ill. where he was hospitalized for a short time. A source close to the singer reportedly told the website that he was released from the hospital and doing better, although it wasn’t clear what the nature of the medical emergency was.
A spokesperson for the seven-time Grammy winner told media outlets recently that he had been battling the flu for weeks. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that he canceled a show earlier this month because he wasn’t feeling well. A few days later, he performed in Atlanta, but it was after that show that he was hospitalized in Moline.
According to TMZ Prince performed at a dance party not far from his home the day after he got out of the hospital and said, “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”
Prince spotted at Walgreens
Now TMZ is suggesting that Prince had some kind of “secret health crisis,” intimating that whatever he was suffering from, it was much worse than the flu. The website posted a picture of the singer at Walgreens that was reportedly taken just hours before he as supposed proof that there must be some kind of conspiracy about a secret health problem he was suffering from. The headline “ALARMING PHARMACY RUNS Indicate Secret Health Crisis” accompanies the photo.
The website claims that Prince visited the Walgreens four times in a week and that its sources said he had been a frequent customer at the pharmacy “for years.” However, those same sources reportedly “were concerned because he looked much more frail and nervous than usual,” said the celebrity-focused website. The Daily Mail reports that Prince was seen in public as recently as Sunday riding a bike outside his estate.
How much truth there is to these rumors remains to be seen. It seems a bit strange that a serious health problem that Prince suffered from for years could be kept under wraps and no news outlet would find out about it—particularly if he goes to the pharmacy himself all the time rather than sending someone else.
Music industry loses an icon
Prince is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 100 million records over the course of his four-decade career. Fifty of his songs landed on the Top 40 charts around the globe, and in addition to seven Grammys, he won an Academy Award for best song score. The pop legend is particularly known for his sexually charged lyrics and string of intimate relationships with other celebrities, both male and female. The film Purple Rain, which was released in the 1980s, told the story of his life. Everyone from Apple CEO Tim Cook to singer Justin Timberlake expressed their sadness on Twitter.
Prince was a true innovator and a singular artist. His music and influence will live on for generations. Rest in peace.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 21, 2016
