# 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:** 9
**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, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/161 "2016-05-04T16:25:06Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Her version was on yesterday morning, but it was the first time I heard it. > > It’s a side issue, but I do wonder who is control of his music rights now. Given that he had no will, are they all in probate limbo? I’d guess (total WAG) it’s a combination of him, Warner Bros, Arista and his various side projects (Times, Revolution, NPG, Vanity 6, 3rdeyegirl, Wendy & Lisa etc) > [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > You can’t stop someone from performing a song which you have written and of which a recorded performance has been released. O’Connor didn’t get Prince’s permission to record Nothing Compares 2 U in the first place - she didn’t need to and still doesn’t need to. I thought that was only the case for parodies. You here, from time to time, about Weird Al choosing not to parody a song because he couldn’t get permission…adding on that he can still do it under Fair Use, but usually won’t without permission. I’ve never heard that anyone can just take someone else’s song, record, make a video and tour all of the world with it without permission from whoever holds the rights to it. And, as usual, it’s tough to look up anything right now since all the google results about Prince, Sinead O’Conner or Nothing Compares 2 U are about Prince’s death. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/162 "2016-05-04T16:29:43Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’d guess (total WAG) it’s a combination of him, Warner Bros, Arista and his various side projects (Times, Revolution, NPG, Vanity 6, 3rdeyegirl, Wendy & Lisa etc) > > I thought that was only the case for parodies. You here, from time to time, about Weird Al choosing not to parody a song because he couldn’t get permission…adding on that he can still do it under Fair Use, but usually won’t without permission. > > I’ve never heard that anyone can just take someone else’s song, record, make a video and tour all of the world with it without permission from whoever holds the rights to it. > > And, as usual, it’s tough to look up anything right now since all the google results about Prince, Sinead O’Conner or Nothing Compares 2 U are about Prince’s death. You can’t sell your copy of it without permission, but you can perform it and give recordings away for free. ---
**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, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/163 "2016-05-04T16:33:43Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > but I’m getting heartily sick of all the salivating over the man’s health problems. Then stop jumping in like Beetlejuice any time someone says drugs or Percocet or OD. We’re going to talk about it, it’s gonna happen. Until we have the full autopsy result all we can do is speculate based on the little snippets of news we get here and there. If you’re getting so sick of it stop checking the thread every time there’s a new post. This entire thread is, more or less, about speculating how he died, if all your going to do is foam at the mouth every time someone says ‘drugs’, I’m not sure why you keep checking in on us. Go post in the “Why is Prince considered to be a genius?” or just ignore all the drug related stuff and post some Prince videos and celebrate his life. ---
**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, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/164 "2016-05-04T16:38:58Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > You can’t sell your copy of it without permission, but you can perform it and give recordings away for free. Sinead’s album [I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Do_Not_Want_What_I_Haven't_Got) which contained that track sold 7 million copies. Nothing Compares 2 U, was also released as a [single](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_Compares_2_U). ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/165 "2016-05-04T16:44:09Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve never heard that anyone can just take someone else’s song, record, make a video and tour all of the world with it without permission from whoever holds the rights to it. > > And, as usual, it’s tough to look up anything right now since all the google results about Prince, Sinead O’Conner or Nothing Compares 2 U are about Prince’s death. Look up “compulsory mechanical license”. The copyright owner must grant the license and you, the person covering the song, must pay the royalties. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/166 "2016-05-04T17:01:11Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve never heard that anyone can just take someone else’s song, record, make a video and tour all of the world with it without permission from whoever holds the rights to it. They can. For any song already commercially published (as “Nothing Compares 2 U” had been, five years before on _The Family_ ), provided they comply with the law on Compulsory Licensing, and pay the required songwriter royalty fees. Prince made good money on Sinéad’s record. Compulsory Licensing does _not_ cover parodies or major rearrangements, but it does suffice for typical cover versions. Getting permission, if possible, may be preferable and cheaper, but it is not legally necessary. ---
**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, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/167 "2016-05-04T17:10:33Z")
That’s what I was looking for, like I said, I didn’t know (and never really gave it any thought). I looked into the compulsory mechanical license, but very quickly got lost in a sea of copyright law and kinda took everyone’s word for it (and assume if she wasn’t allowed to use it, it would have been stopped a long time ago). ---
**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, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/168 "2016-05-04T17:57:11Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Until we have the full autopsy result all we can do is speculate based on the little snippets of news we get here and there. Or… maybe you could NOT speculate on it and just wait for the results. 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. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/169 "2016-05-04T18:06:22Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > So, now Sinead O’Connor is claiming that Arsenio Hall was the ne’er do well that was supplying Prince with drugs. > > [Story here](http://jam.canoe.com/Music/2016/05/03/22629410-wenn-story.html). What makes that story so loony is that Prince apparently has to have famous drug dealers. Why can’t he just hire a garden-variety shady doctor? I’ve known more than one in my day, even though I’m not famous, and I’ve never sought out or used their services. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/170 "2016-05-04T18:40:31Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > … Some people sure are making a fine living out of appeasing the folks who are just so damn eager to hear this guy died a junkie, aren’t they? > …Yeah, I could see someone with a chronic pain problem winding up with a physical dependence on opiates. If that’s the case here it’s sad, but I’m getting heartily sick of all the salivating over the man’s health problems. I think you make a fair (and legitimately discussable) point, here. There has definitely been a tone of _'ooooh, you knew we’d find out that he was a drug addict!!!_’ in many outlets covering Prince’s death. They offer that perspective because there IS an audience eager to believe that _'black people are weak/sinful/prone to drug problems_’ is a valid worldview. It’s an ugly feature of our society; shame on anyone who panders to it. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/171 "2016-05-04T19:02:58Z")
Does everything have to be about race? Based on his previous assertions I believed Prince not to be a user of recreational drugs. When I read that he had a problem with Percocet due to hip pain I felt that if he had a drug problem it was with that and was somewhat understandable. Now comments are coming out that he may have been a heavy user of cocaine and had been for quite a while. I attributed that (to the degree it may have been accurate in the first place) to his wealth and his rock musician lifestyle. At no time did I ever think “Yeah, figures! He was a black guy so it’s no surprise he was doing drugs.” Far more famous white musicians have died from drug problems than black ones and I really don’t think that to the degree people are thinking Prince had a drug problem it has anything to do with his race. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/172 "2016-05-04T19:20:33Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > So, now Sinead O’Connor is claiming that Arsenio Hall was the ne’er do well that was supplying Prince with drugs. > > [Story here](http://jam.canoe.com/Music/2016/05/03/22629410-wenn-story.html). Am I the only person that would back Sinead O’conner in a punch-up with Prince? Don’t get me wrong, I love Prince, but intimidating he is not. In one of the few instance’s where I prefer someone else version of one of Prince’s songs. To me Sinead’s version has more raw emotion than his, though I really, really love the live version of _Nothing Compares to You_ that Prince does with Rosie Gaines. ---
**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, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/173 "2016-05-04T19:24:59Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/174 "2016-05-04T19:32:43Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > More anonymous sources? Anonymous? > [@](#): > > Dr. Howard Kornfeld, a national authority on opioid addiction treatment, was called by Prince representatives the night of April 20 because Prince “was dealing with a grave medical emergency,” said William Mauzy, a prominent Minneapolis attorney working with the Kornfeld family. Every quote in the article is attributed to Mauzy. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/175 "2016-05-04T19:35:04Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Am I the only person that would back Sinead O’conner in a punch-up with Prince? > > Don’t get me wrong, I love Prince, but intimidating he is not. > > In one of the few instance’s where I prefer someone else version of one of Prince’s songs. To me Sinead’s version has more raw emotion than his, though I really, really love the live version of _Nothing Compares to You_ that Prince does with Rosie Gaines. In the spirit of having a bit of levity here: hmm, who to back? A certifiably crazy pint-sized Irish woman with a great voice, or a pint-sized overall musical genius who had stories told about his mad skillz in basketball, roller skating - and I remember a Rolling Stone article starting off with “wow, I Prince can do a hand stand!” So Prince would get my vote. As for the actual developments: this has NOTHING to do with race. This has everything to do with “reclusive, rich musical genius dies out of the blue - there MUST be a story there.” Unfortunately, between painkillers, stories about addiction intervention, etc., it appears that Prince was far more involved with substances than seemed possible given his output. So sad. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/176 "2016-05-04T19:39:08Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Sinead’s album [I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Do_Not_Want_What_I_Haven't_Got) which contained that track sold 7 million copies. Nothing Compares 2 U, was also released as a [single](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothing_Compares_2_U). Sorry if I was unclear. You need to get some form of permission from the copyright holder and pay royalties (you saw this already in later posts) if you are selling your recording. You don’t even really need the mechanical license if you are giving it away for free. You sort of do, kinda, but not in any way anyone will ever enforce. Same deal for live covers. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/177 "2016-05-04T19:42:42Z")
> [@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. Just a little low humor that doesn’t seem especially funny even to me. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/178 "2016-05-04T20:03:53Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I think you make a fair (and legitimately discussable) point, here. There has definitely been a tone of _'ooooh, you knew we’d find out that he was a drug addict!!!_’ in many outlets covering Prince’s death. They offer that perspective because there IS an audience eager to believe that _'black people are weak/sinful/prone to drug problems_’ is a valid worldview. > > It’s an ugly feature of our society; shame on anyone who panders to it. I am not sure where the ‘black people are weak/sinful/prone to drug problems’ comes in considering that dying from overdoses is a standard way to go for musicians. I mean, [seriously](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pop_musicians_who_died_of_drug_overdose). Just this decade the following musicians have died from overdoses (not including Prince): Jay Reatard (The Reatards) Paul Gray (Slipknot) Mike Starr (Alice in Chains) Amy Winehouse Jani Lane (Warrant) Mikey Welsh (Weezer) Whitney Houston Dave Brockie (Gwar\*) Jimi Jamison (Survivor) Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) Note, only one of those is black. The issue isn’t that Prince is black, it is that Prince is a musician and it is all too common for musicians to die from drug overdoses. So speculation along this line seems perfectly reasonable\*\*. Of course it is much easier to blame racism, now isn’t it? Slee - I opened for Gwar back in about 1989. Great show. Backstage was very, very odd. \*\* Reasonable as in it is a very common death for musicians. ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/179 "2016-05-04T21:07:19Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Anonymous? > Every quote in the article is attributed to Mauzy. Not to mention, Dr. Kornfeld’s son Andrew seems to be the one who made the 911 call. He took a redeye flight to Minnesota on less than a day’s notice. Hardly anonymous, and there seems to be no speculation here. It’s tragic, and a damn shame that this keeps happening over and over, but like it or not, it’s looking like the truth. ---
**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, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828/180 "2016-05-04T21:32:06Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > What makes that story so loony is that Prince apparently has to have famous drug dealers. Why can’t he just hire a garden-variety shady doctor? I’ve known more than one in my day, even though I’m not famous, and I’ve never sought out or used their services. ^ This. If it turns out Prince had a physical dependence or died of an overdose the most likely source is a doctor or doctors, not some street dealer or famous celebrity. But no one has heard of Dr. Joe Smith so it’s not so sexy a story. > [@Sherrerd](#): > > I think you make a fair (and legitimately discussable) point, here. There has definitely been a tone of _'ooooh, you knew we’d find out that he was a drug addict!!!_’ in many outlets covering Prince’s death. They offer that perspective because there IS an audience eager to believe that _'black people are weak/sinful/prone to drug problems_’ is a valid worldview. I think it’s more him being a rock musician than his race. Saw a headline on a ragsheet yesterday proclaiming Prince died of AIDS. Funny, that same [del]toilet paper[/del] ragsheet claims EVERY celebrity died of AIDS. But that one would pander to those making a big deal out of the man’s fashion sense and somewhat androgynous costuming. It’s not reporting, it scandal sold for profit and all too often made up scandal for profit. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Anonymous? > > Every quote in the article is attributed to Mauzy. Yeah, great attorney - why is he talking about his client’s business to the media? Maybe I’m just getting pissed over the “addiction” hammer - seems to me a physical dependence due to long term opiate medication is more likely here, which is more of a medical side effect than what is usually brought to mind by the word “addiction”. Addicts have a mental need to get high, and the psychological crap is often harder to kick than the physical. People with a physical dependence certainly have things like withdrawal symptoms, but they don’t seek drugs to get high. You taper those folks off whatever they’re dependent on and it’s not usually a big issue with cravings or them going back to the drug. It _could_ happen if the underlying pain isn’t controlled, but fix the underlying problem they no longer have a reason to use. Accidental death by use, overuse, or misuse of prescription drugs is more common than most people realize. If that is what happened here I hope Prince’s death will shed some light on the problem instead of becoming _hur, hur, another dead guitar player_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prince-dead-at-57/752828.md?page=10)