Prince could still have been saved had medical help a day before his death arrived for the "Purple Rain" singer. However, due to schedule concerns, the intervention reached the singer too late.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Dr. Howard Kornfeld, who has an addiction-recovery facility in California, was asked for help with Prince's addiction to painkillers. However, Kornfeld's lawyer William Mauzy said that his client was not available to immediately travel to Minnesota.
The doctor decided to send his son Andrew, who found Prince dead inside an elevator in his residence. Mauzy explained that Kornfeld's plan was to stabilize the patient and bring him to his Mill Valley Clinic.
"Dr. Kornfeld was never able to meet Prince, never talked to Prince, and sadly, was not able to arrive in time to help Prince," Mauzy said. "Dr. Kornfeld felt his mission was a lifesaving mission."
Prince memorial/free concert to be held outside L.A. City Hall Friday @LynetteRomero reports https://t.co/a6xceTUy0t pic.twitter.com/oX80UNHlGs
— KTLA (@KTLA) May 6, 2016
According to Oregon Live, Andrew, who is a pre-med student, was carrying the prescription drug buprenorphine when he went to see Prince. People questioned the legality of carrying the drug but Mauzy said the law would protect Kornfeld's son from any liability.
Drugs.com said buprenorphine is a "narcotic analgesic" used to treat pain ranging from moderate to severe. This drug targets a person's brain and nervous system to lessen the pain.
Kornfeld and his son have yet to respond to interview requests and questions by the media. But Oregon Live said that he earlier mentioned in a discussion that he would want to encourage more research on how to manage pain then addictions among patients like Prince.
People are still awaiting for the autopsy results of Prince to determine what really causes his death. There is also a pending toxicology test that would tell if there were drugs present in his body when he died and if these reached alarming levels.
