Prince Was Extremely Anti-Drugs, Claim Former Band Members: ‘He Wouldn’t Even Tolerate Smoking’


Like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Amy Winehouse before him, Prince will not only be remembered for the music, but also for dying tragically from an accidental overdose.

A fact which is deeply upsetting for friends and former bandmates of the late star who believe the “purple one” deserved better than to have a legacy tainted by drug addiction.

When the world woke up to the shocking news that Prince had died aged 57 at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota on April 21, it shook its head in disbelief.

According to reports, Prince who was five foot, three inches tall and weighed just 112 lbs at the time of his death, was found fully-clothed in the elevator of his home.

Never renowned for his hard-living, party-hard lifestyle, Prince’s passing was subject to all sorts of rumors in the immediate aftermath of his death. Some speculated he died from HIV or AIDS and other said he was struck down by a vicious bout of pneumonia.

The rumors were refuted when an official report stated that an accidental opioid overdose was the reason for the star’s death.

Toxicology reports confirmed that Fentanyl, the same drug which caused Michael Jackson’s death in 2009, was the sole cause of Prince’s demise.

The news that drug addiction led to Prince’s death was met with disbelief, and in some quarters, scorn.

Most notably from Kiss bassist Gene Simmons who controversially claimed in Newsweek that Prince’s death was a “choice.”

“Bowie was the most tragic of all because it was real sickness. Prince’s drugs killed him. What do you think, he died from a cold?”

Although he confessed he was in awe of Prince’s genius, Simmons also called him pathetic for becoming addicted to drugs in the first place.

“I think Prince was heads, hands and feet about all the rest of them. I thought he left [Michael] Jackson in the dust. Prince was way beyond that. But how pathetic that he killed himself. Don’t kid yourself, that’s what he did. Slowly, I’ll grant you … but that’s what drugs and alcohol is: a slow death.”

Simmons later apologized for his remarks, but the simple truth of the matter is, Prince will be forever associated with the tragedy of drug addiction. Something which is heartbreaking for members of his former band The Revolution.

[Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]

Guitarist Wendy Melvoin who worked with Prince in the 1980s explained to Billboard how Prince spent may years desperately trying to keep people of all drugs, including cigarettes.

“When I joined the band I smoked cigarettes, and he was like, ‘Uh-uh, not having it. You have to stop.’ And I did.”

“When we were rehearsing for the Purple Rain tour, my guitar tech was a smoker. He didn’t smoke in the arena. He went to test Prince’s mic and just said, ‘Check-one-two’ into it.”

“Prince could smell the cigarette on his microphone. That guy was fired immediately.”

[Image by Patrick Riviere/Getty Images]

The Revolution keyboardist Matt Fink also reveals how angry it makes him when people refer to his old friend as a drug addict.

“To say he was a drug addict and all that kind of stuff, it just pisses me off. He was hurting. He was in pain. He made a couple of mistakes like any of us.”

“He taught me every step of the way. He was hard, he was rough – but you know what? It was love. He wanted us to succeed.”

“So when he passed, it broke me down. When I would watch other people get on television and talk about him, I’d just get angry.”

“That man deserved a lot better than what he got, in my opinion. He just deserved so much better.”

[Featured Image by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images]

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