# Prince Dead at 57 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [April 21, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828 "2016-04-21T16:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/181 "2016-05-04T21:32:39Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > … there IS an audience eager to believe that _'black people are weak/sinful/prone to drug problems_’ is a valid worldview. Where’s the evidence for this? I concur with **sleestak** that “Celebrites are prone to drug problems” is the (unfortunately well supported by history) meme here. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/182 "2016-05-04T21:38:35Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Why would you need to “back” either one? From what we know about Prince, it seems unlikely that he would want to physically fight her anyway. We do know that he’s supposed to be a very good basketball player. Between that and his dancing ability, I’d guess that he’d be able to take Sinead O’Conner. She’s 2 inches taller than and seems a bit sturdier, but I think he’s probably more athletic and light on his feet. > [@Broomstick](#): > > It’s not random people on the internet that piss me off so much as the so-called journalists who are really muckrakers making a profit off their speculating. It’s disgusting, not just now but when any celebrity dies. Who, TMZ? TMZ is very, very rarely wrong about this stuff\*. And of course most of their sources are anonymous. Many of them are cops, medical professionals (or even just random hospital staff), friends of celebs (as in “a source close to the family”) etc. So, if Billy Joel gets arrested tonight and I’m working the intake at Long Island PD, I can tall TMZ, give them the lead, they give me the money. Do some fact checking and after verifying the story is true an article goes up on TMZ that says 'An anonymous source at Long Island PD…". If my name was listed, I’d get fired and no one else would bother calling in with tips. No name mentioned…maybe I’ll call them back the next time I see a celeb in the drunk tank. \*Yes, wiki mentions a handful of things they were wrong about, but you have to take into consideration how many things they been right about (and first). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/183 "2016-05-04T21:49:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Yeah, great attorney - why is he talking about his client’s business to the media? Because his client (I assume the son is also being represented by the same attorney) called 911, had a backpack full of narcotics (Suboxone, for helping withdraw from opiates) and his father, and addiction specialist was supposed to meet with Prince in a few days. The attorney is just getting out in front of the news and making a statement. People will run with the first thing they hear so the attorney would rather it was from him instead of you reading somewhere on the internet “Cops find guy with backpack full of pills at Paisley Park when Prince Died”. It’s pretty common. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/184 "2016-05-04T22:14:05Z")
I think the dust up was between Sinead and Arsenio, not Prince. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/185 "2016-05-04T22:39:53Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Who, TMZ? If I had meant specifically “TMZ” I would have named TMZ. I meant media in general: TV, print, internet, bloggers, and so on. Every time a celebrity dies there seems to be a race to find the most/worst scandal. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/186 "2016-05-04T23:10:58Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Um… he was a presumably competent adult who could tell his employees to leave him alone if he wanted? True, I mean, we’re not talking about Michael Jackson here. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/187 "2016-05-04T23:14:25Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If I had meant specifically “TMZ” I would have named TMZ. > > I meant media in general: TV, print, internet, bloggers, and so on. Every time a celebrity dies there seems to be a race to find the most/worst scandal. Well, then think of that before you seek fame. “Can honour set to a leg? no: or an arm? no: or take away the grief of a wound? no. Honour hath no skill in surgery, then? no. What is honour? a word. What is in that word honour? what is that honour? air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? he that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? no. Doth he hear it? no. 'Tis insensible, then. Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? no. Why? **detraction will not suffer it.** Therefore I’ll none of it. Honour is a mere scutcheon: and so ends my catechism.” (Falstaff is using the word “honour” not in the sense of “integrity” or “honesty” but in the sense of “reputation”. “Fame” plugs in just as well.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/188 "2016-05-04T23:18:45Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > We do know that he’s supposed to be a very good basketball player. Between that and his dancing ability, I’d guess that he’d be able to take Sinead O’Conner. She’s 2 inches taller than and seems a bit sturdier, but I think he’s probably more athletic and light on his feet. Why does any of this matter? How many brawls have you heard of Prince getting into? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/189 "2016-05-04T23:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday that they have joined local authorities in the investigation into Prince’s death… > > The Carver County Sheriff’s Office has said neither foul play nor suicide are suspected. > > The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. attorney’s office can assist county investigators by providing resources and expertise about prescription drug diversion, said a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. > **[Source: Percocet was found in Prince's system](https://www.startribune.com/federal-agents-to-join-prince-death-investigation/378168981)** > > Source says it's not yet clear if the opioid contributed to his death. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/190 "2016-05-05T00:08:26Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If I had meant specifically “TMZ” I would have named TMZ. > > I meant media in general: TV, print, internet, bloggers, and so on. Every time a celebrity dies there seems to be a race to find the most/worst scandal. You did, you practically tore me a new one for daring to cite them. Go back to post [111](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19279903&postcount=111) > [@](#): > > TMZ is pushing the “drug addict” theory but all they have is speculation and rumor, no proof. > > \ > > Who the frack are these “sources” > > \ > > The TMZ rumors are repeated but the actual airport spokesman declined to identify the airplane or patient, which is how privacy is supposed to work. > > The only source pushing the OD/drugs story is TMZ. Given that they live on scandal and rumor perhaps we should consider that they might have a negative bias. You actually did, in fact, name TMZ. 3 times by my count. But if you meant someone else, name _them_, I’m not a mind reader…and since you don’t have a problem with TMZ, get off my case, they’re the only website I’ve cited or pulled any information from. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/191 "2016-05-05T02:03:31Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I think the dust up was between Sinead and Arsenio, not Prince. Could’ve sworn I read an account where Sinead is “summoned” to Prince’s house, he criticizes her for her foul language, she reacts predictably, and they get into a fight. Ah, here it is: > **[Mail Online Videos: Top News & Viral Videos, Clips & Footage | Daily...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/index.html)** > > Check out the latest breaking news videos and viral videos covering showbiz, sport, fashion, technology, and more from the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. ETA: Just read that article linked above about Arsenio, and they recap it there too. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/192 "2016-05-05T03:33:53Z")
> [@Headrush042](#): > > Could’ve sworn I read an account where Sinead is “summoned” to Prince’s house, he criticizes her for her foul language, she reacts predictably, and they get into a fight. > > Ah, here it is: > > [Mail Online Videos: Top News & Viral Videos, Clips & Footage | Daily Mail Online](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/tvshowbiz/video-1001803/Sinead-OConnor-talks-punch-Prince.html) > > ETA: Just read that article linked above about Arsenio, and they recap it there too. The _Daily Mail_ is banned in Thailand and its website blocked due to a rather, um, unflattering report and video it had regarding a certain member of a, shall we say a very powerful Thai family. Is there any other source? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/193 "2016-05-05T03:50:31Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The _Daily Mail_ is banned in Thailand and its website blocked due to a rather, um, unflattering report and video it had regarding a certain member of a, shall we say a very powerful Thai family. Is there any other source? I didn’t read the daily mail article, but that same wording is on Sinead’s wiki page. > **[Sinéad O'Connor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin%C3%A9ad_O'Connor#Remarks_about_Prince)** > > Shuhada' Sadaqat\[a\] (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor /ʃɪˈneɪd/ shin-AYD; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, and activist. Her debut studio album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released in 1987 and achieved international chart success. Her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, was her biggest commercial success, selling over seven million copies worldwide. Its lead single, "Nothing Compares 2 U", was honoured as the top world single of the year at th O'... ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/194 "2016-05-05T03:59:23Z")
Thanks. Fortunately, Thailand has not blocked Wikipedia … yet. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/195 "2016-05-05T04:01:00Z")
ETA, it looks like she later retracted it, saying (according to wiki, anyway) “O’Connor claimed that the story was “much exaggerated by the press” and referred to him as “a sweet guy”” However, I can’t get to the links where Prince said it didn’t happen or the one where Sinead said it was exaggerated. ISTM, however, if it was exaggerated, either she exaggerated it or they misquoted her. [Here’s the article.](http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-news/i-told-him-to-f-off-sinead-oconnor-reveals-she-had-punchup-with-prince-30753189.html) My guess, she exaggerated it (she’s always been kind of over the top) and later, for one reason or another, took it back. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/196 "2016-05-05T21:42:35Z")
If he was junkie, it would explain a LOT. Don’t know how far back the junkie-dom started, but being ‘shy’, ‘a private person’ - SPECIAL somehow - changing his name to a symbol??? - all that esoteric better than the foul smelling rabble crap - all points to a doper extraordinaire. And what’s the big deal? It seems most musicians kick off from overdoses, with big smiles on their faces, LEGENDS who left us “far, far too early”. Well, DUH. That’s what they do. When you become famous you are legally obligated to sniff, snort, swallow anything and everything, because you can afford it, you are supposed to do it to be ‘cool’ and above the hoi polloi, and cause massive rending of garments and weeping when you croak. When was the last time you heard of a rock star dying from falling off the orphanage roof while nailing on a new roof? When was the last time you heard of a rock star giving to a hospital, an animal shelter, abused womens shelter, abused children? No, it’s all drugs and drugs and drugs and me me me. No wonder he never made a will, he was most likely in a stupor most of his career and couldn’t be bothered with petty real life. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/197 "2016-05-05T21:45:21Z")
That’s quite a leap. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/198 "2016-05-05T22:13:32Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > When was the last time you heard of a rock star giving to a hospital, an animal shelter, abused womens shelter, abused children? No, it’s all drugs and drugs and drugs and me me me. Your post displays both ignorance and a mean spirit. [Prince was among the most community-minded rock stars, quietly supporting dozens of charitable initiatives, especially in his native Minneapolis.](http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2016/04/26/prince-charity-donations/) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/199 "2016-05-05T22:39:02Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The _Daily Mail_ is banned in Thailand and its website blocked due to a rather, um, unflattering report and video it had regarding a certain member of a, shall we say a very powerful Thai family. Is there any other source? Hm. I’ve always thought of Thailand as a free country (that’s what the name means, in fact, IIRC), but maybe not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/200 "2016-05-05T23:23:01Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > If he was junkie, it would explain a LOT. > Don’t know how far back the junkie-dom started, but being ‘shy’, ‘a private person’ - SPECIAL somehow - changing his name to a symbol??? - all that esoteric better than the foul smelling rabble crap - all points to a doper extraordinaire. This post is shocking in its meanness and commitment to stereotyping and its commitment to ignorance of everything anyone knows of Prince"s life. For example, the explanation for the symbol has been known for years. Prince was any and private, yes, but he wasn’t isolated. He was always working and there were always people he was working with. He was always described as.extraordinarily productive and engaged and alert and skilled. He released as many albums as Bob Dylan did in much less time. Not things you would expect from a “junkie.” And the only way that shyness, etc., are “perfectly explained” by being a “junkie” is an extraordinary manufacturing of a new stereotype by nailing together a grab bag of old ones. Theres also the deliberate confusion between being a “junkie” and opioid dependence resulting from pain management. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828.md?page=11)