Pop superstar Prince spent his final days in agonizing pain, popping pills to relieve his aching hips and ankles after years of strutting around on stage in high heels, according to reports.
“If you look back in the days of ‘Purple Rain’ when he was on top of risers and jumping down off risers in those heels, you know, it damaged parts of his body,” his former fiancée, Sheila E., said on “Good Morning America” Friday morning, referring to the four-inch-tall high heels he regularly wore during performances.
“He was in pain all the time, but he was a performer,” Sheila — herself a musician — told “Entertainment Tonight.” “We know that he’s had issues with his hips.”
The musical genius, who was found dead at his Minnesota home Thursday morning, was taking the highly addictive drug Percocet to manage his chronic hip pain — and accidentally overdosed on April 15, just hours after playing a sold-out show in Atlanta, according to TMZ.com.
His private jet had to make an emergency landing in Moline, Ill., where medical workers gave him a “save shot” to treat the overdose just days before his death, TMZ said.
During the intimate Atlanta show, part of his Piano & a Microphone tour, Prince appeared with a jewel-encrusted cane and sat for most of the concert, playing a baby grand piano on the candle-covered stage.
Prince reportedly underwent corrective surgery in 2010 for his hip problems.
“People close to Prince tell me he struggled with painkillers due to his hip and ankle issues,” said “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Kevin Frazier on “CBS This Morning.”
“The hip and ankle issues were a problem for him for so long, and for a man who loves to move and dance so much, it really bothered him,” Frazier added.
It has been reported that, as a devout Jehovah’s Witness, Prince had refused to undergo a double hip replacement in 2009 because the religion is opposed to blood transfusions.
Appearing more frail than usual, Prince made four trips to his local Walgreens this week — and store workers were concerned about him, TMZ reported.
His former publicist, Garvey Rich, said he’d never known the singer to abuse drugs.
“Prince always seemed quite healthy and well taken care of, not into drugs and he didn’t drink much if any, so I figured he’d live forever,” Rich said.
But he didn’t eat much at all and often stayed up late recording music, according to the former publicist.
“That wasn’t him, staying up all night doing drugs,” Rich said. “I think that was just in his mentality. Something seemed very fragile — I don’t think he worked out. He didn’t eat a lot. His obsession was more about his hair than food. He was stressed out.”
Authorities found Prince unconscious in an elevator on the first floor of his Paisley Park estate Thursday morning — and said there were no signs of trauma on his body.
“There’s no reason to believe at this point that it was a suicide,” said Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson.
Olson added that the music legend was last seen alive at 8 p.m. Wednesday, when an acquaintance dropped him off at his Minneapolis-area home.
“Prince is a very private person, and I don’t think that it would be unusual for him to be there by himself,” Olson explained.
But concerned Paisley Park staff members couldn’t get in touch with Prince the next morning and went to check on him.
“They found him unresponsive and called 911,” Olson said.
Three people were at his home when authorities arrived, Olson added, declining to identify them or say who made the initial 911 call. He said the mood was “somber” when cops showed up and that his staffers were “shook” by what had happened.
“This is certainly a big event internationally and nationally, and I can tell you that we are going to leave no stone unturned on this and make sure the public knows what happened,” Olson said.
“It’s better for us to do it well than to do it fast,” he added.
He declined to discuss if any prescription drugs were found at Prince’s home when cops showed up, but said, “We’ll be talking to people close to him.”
Olson added Prince was dressed when authorities found him.
“I can’t say for sure what he sleeps in versus what he goes out in,” Olson said, earning laughs from reporters.
Dr. A. Quinn Strobl, the chief medical examiner for the Anoka County Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Ramsey, Minn., completed an autopsy on Prince’s body Friday afternoon — but said the results may not be released for days or even weeks.
“Gathering the results will take several days, and the results of a full toxicology scan could likely take weeks,” the Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement.
“As part of a complete exam, relevant information regarding Mr. Nelson’s medical and social history will be gathered,” the statement on the artist — whose birth name was Prince Rogers Nelson — added. “Anything which could be relevant will be taken into consideration.”
Meanwhile, tributes continued to pour in for the beloved musical genius who became a symbol of the 1980s. Will Smith said he’d even spoken to the “Purple Rain” singer the night before he was found dead.
“I am stunned and heartbroken,” Smith wrote in a Facebook post. “I just spoke with him last night. Today, Jada & I mourn with all of you the loss of a beautiful poet, a true inspiration, and one of the most magnificent artists to ever grace this earth.”
President Obama said Friday that he kicked off his morning listening to “Purple Rain” and “Delirious” on a turntable at Winfield House, the US ambassador’s residence in London, where he’s been staying.
“I love Prince because he put out great music and he was a great performer,” Obama said. “He came to perform at the White House last year and was extraordinary and creative and original and full of energy. And so it’s a remarkable loss.”
AMC announced that it’s teaming up with Warner Bros. Entertainment to screen Prince’s 1984 masterpiece “Purple Rain” in 87 theaters across the country — including several in New York City and New Jersey.
Dance parties in honor of The Purple One will be taking place all across the Big Apple this weekend.
Additional reporting by Natalie Musumeci and Chris Perez With Post Wire Services
