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No criminal charges to be filed over Prince overdose death

Prince died from an accidental opioid overdose in April 2016 - Chris O'Meara/AP
Prince died from an accidental opioid overdose in April 2016 - Chris O'Meara/AP

No-one will face criminal charges over the death of Prince from an accidental drug overdose, say prosecutors.

The rock and pop star was found after collapsing in a lift at his Paisley Park Studios, in Minnesota, on 21 April 2016.

A post-mortem examination revealed that he died from an overdose of fentanyl, a painkilling opioid many times more powerful than heroin.

Prosecutors said an investigation found counterfeit pills containing the drug inside the 57-year-old's home but they were unable to determine the source. 

Mark Metz said Prince had suffered from pain for years and was addicted to pain medication, although he believed he was taking a common painkiller pill, Vicodin, rather than a counterfeit version laced with adeadly opioid.

Prince: his 10 best songs
Prince: his 10 best songs

"In all likelihood, Prince had no idea that he was taking a counterfeit pill that could kill him," Mr Metz said.

He said that some of the superstar's entourage may have helped him secure the drugs in order to protect his privacy but added there was no evidence of "any sinister motive"

"We have no direct evidence that a specific person provided the fentanyl to Prince," he added.

At a glance | Fentanyl
At a glance | Fentanyl

State and federal authorities have been investigating the source of the fentanyl for nearly two years and Mr Metz's announcement effectively closed the case.

Prince's death highlighted the growing toll of opioids across America. Developed to ease the pain of terminal cancer patients, they are now prescribed widely and were blame for more than 42,000 overdose deaths in 2016. 

Hours before Mr Metz made his statement, court documents revealed that a doctor accused of illegally prescribing a different opioid to Prince agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a civil violation of a federal drug law. 

Dr Michael Todd Schulenberg was accused of writing a prescription for oxycodone in the name of Prince's bodyguard, intending for the potent painkiller to go to Prince. That prescription was not linked to Prince's death.