Prince’s Closest Friends Open Up About Painkiller Addiction That May Have Killed Him

Many secrets still surround Prince’s passing last month. While fans continue to mourn the pop star’s death, several of Prince’s close friends have opened up about his troubled addiction to painkillers.

Sky Dangcil, a close friend and fellow collaborator of Prince, recently told Us Magazine that Prince’s addiction started after a hip problem sidelined the singer. Prince turned to painkillers in order to keep performing at his usual pace.

“Everyone saw that his hips were turning into a bigger problem,” Dangcil revealed. “He was always ‘on,’ so he wouldn’t complain or say anything was wrong.”

While Prince was able to mask his injury and pain, the situation was much different in private. Along with Dangcil, Prince’s hairstylist, Kim Berry, explained how pain was a normal part of Prince’s life.

“He was always in a lot of pain,” she shared.

Berry added that Prince’s addiction was fueled by his love for music. In fact, Prince was known for recording throughout the night and had an unmatched commitment to his craft. Coupled with “30 years of jumping off speakers with 4-inch shoes on,” there is little wonder why Prince had hip problems.

Prince’s activity eventually caught up to him. Back in 2011, he underwent hip surgery and consequently had to give up his love for heeled boots.

“He worked himself very, very hard,” Van Jones, a commentator for CNN, stated. “He was never sitting around watching the Kardashians.”

Prince died last month when his body was found in an elevator in his home in Minnesota. Later, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration showed up and conducted a raid on the Paisley Park compound. The results of their search, as well as those of Prince’s autopsy, are unknown.

In relation to Prince’s addiction to painkillers, CNN is reporting that authorities are now looking into Prince’s relationship with Dr. Michael Schulenberg. Dr. Schulenberg visited Prince on the day that he died.

So far, the police have not uncovered a prescription for the medication they found at Paisley Park. At this point, it isn’t clear what kind of role Dr. Schulenberg played in fueling Prince’s addiction or whether or not Prince was in contact with other doctors in the area.

Unfortunately, authorities have kept a tight lid on their investigation into the mysteries surrounding the death of Prince. While they have released some records, the documents they obtained at Dr. Schulenberg’s office are not available to the public.

Meanwhile, Prince’s family members held an official memorial for Prince this past week. According to E! Online, a number of different celebrities offered their condolences to the family. This includes Eric Benet, Spike Lee, Gwen Stefani, Tavis Smiley, The Revolution, Dita Von Teese, and Herbie Hancock, to name a few.

In total, some 90 people showed up for the event, which was put on by two of Prince’s ex-wives: Mayte Garcia and Manuela Testolini.

“Seeing his two ex-wives on stage was a really moving moment,” an eyewitness told the outlet.

Despite the unexpected nature of Prince’s death, the ceremony was largely a celebration of Prince’s life and works. In fact, there were multiple music guests on hand, each of whom sang tributes to the “Purple Rain” singer.

“I don’t want to say funeral, but it felt like what you would expect what the funeral would have been like; that’s what it felt like to me,” a source explained. “It was very beautiful.”

When asked about how Prince would have liked the ceremony, Cat Glover shared Prince would have loved it.

“He would laugh, knowing his personality. He would laugh because he had a great personality,” she stated. “He would just giggle. He’d love it.”

Tell us! Do you think Prince secretly struggled with an addiction to painkillers? Let us know in the comments below.

[Photo by Karrah Kobus for NPG Records/Getty Images]