Your Source for NPR News & Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

California Addiction Doctor Scheduled Meeting With Prince, Lawyer Says

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

We're learning more about the events leading up to the death of the musician Prince on April 21. Before he died, he was scheduled to meet with a doctor who specializes in chronic pain and drug addiction. The lawyer representing that doctor held a news conference today. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has more.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: The night before he died, Prince's representatives called Dr. Howard Kornfeld, an addiction specialist in California, says Kornfeld's lawyer, William Mauzy. He says his client believed the situation was urgent.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

WILLIAM MAUZY: Dr. Kornfeld felt that his mission was a lifesaving mission.

BLAIR: The call was placed on Wednesday night, says Mauzy. Dr. Kornfeld planned to fly to Minnesota on Friday. In the meantime, he sent his son, Andrew, a pre-med student who works with his father at Recovery Without Walls. The clinic's website says it specializes in treatment for chronic pain and drug and alcohol addiction. Mauzy says Andrew was sent to talk to Prince about the program. He says the hope was to get the musician stabilized in Minnesota and then take him to the clinic in California.

Andrew Kornfeld was with the group that found Prince unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park. He called 911. Kornfeld had pills in his possession that Mauzy says are used to treat pain management and addiction. He says Kornfeld planned to give those pills not to Prince directly, but to a Minnesota doctor who was also lined up to treat the musician.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MAUZY: No drugs were ever administered. There was never any intention of drugs being administered to Prince by Andrew or by Dr. Kornfeld.

BLAIR: Prince was known as a disciplined musician who worked constantly, says Alan Light, author of a book about the making of "Purple Rain."

ALAN LIGHT: This was somebody who was working until the very, very end, who was on stage a few days before he passed and sounded fantastic. So, you know, it's no less shocking to hear this, you know, than to hear the initial news.

BLAIR: The investigation is still underway. The U.S. attorney in Minneapolis and the DEA have both joined it. According to the Carver County Sheriff's office in Minnesota, toxicology reports are expected in a few weeks. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award-winning senior producer/reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.
Related Stories