Prince found dead one day after addiction specialist was called

CHANHASSEN, Minn. — Representatives for Prince contacted a California addiction specialist for help in shaking the musician's dependency on painkillers on the night before he was found dead, the specialist's attorney said Wednesday.

Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a nationally recognized physician specializing in opioid addiction treatment, got a call on April 20 asking him to travel to Minnesota. He was unable to make the trip but planned to leave California on April 22 to determine how best to proceed.

He contacted a physician in Minnesota, who agreed to clear his calendar and see Prince the morning of April 21. Since Kornfeld couldn't immediately make the trip to Minnesota, he sent his son, Andrew Kornfeld, in his stead.

"Dr. Kornfeld felt that his mission was a lifesaving mission, so certainly he felt it to be urgent," said William Mauzy, an attorney representing the Kornfeld family.

The doctor planned to get Prince stabilized in Minnesota and then convince him to get treatment at Recovery Without Walls, Kornfeld's clinic in Mill Valley, California, Mauzy said.

Andrew Kornfeld took a red-eye flight from San Francisco to Minnesota and arrived at Paisley Park on the morning of April 21. Prince, however, was nowhere to be found.

Minutes later, the singer was found unconscious in an elevator at the complex. Andrew Kornfeld called 911.

Less than half an hour later, emergency responders pronounced Prince dead.

"It was difficult (for Andrew Kornfeld) to arrive after a redeye and go to talk to Prince in a positive way, and he arrives to see him dead, unconcious in an elevator," Mauzy said. "It was certainly a difficult time for him."

Andrew Kornfeld had medication used in pain management and addiction treatment with him at Paisley Park and planned to give the medication to the unidentified local doctor, the attorney said.

"There were no pills (or) any type of medication given to Prince by Andrew or Howard," Mauzy said.

Authorities did not immediately comment on the revelations, although investigators have said they are focused on whether prescription pills might have been a factor in Prince's death. Prescription painkillers were found on the singer and in his home after his death, according to multiple reports.

Results of an autopsy, including a toxicology report, are expected in the coming weeks.

Cox Media Group