Prince autopsy expected to take weeks

  • 23/04/2016
Prince (File)
Prince (File)

It could take weeks to determine the cause of Prince's death -- but Minnesota police say they have "no reason to believe" suicide was responsible.

The 'Purple Rain' singer died on Thursday (local time), aged 57. His body was found in an elevator by staff at his Paisley Park compound.

At a press conference on Saturday morning (NZ time) the Carver County Sheriff said an autopsy had been completed and Prince's body returned to his family.

It's expected the process of determining the music legend's cause of death will take several weeks but Sheriff Jim Olson said there were no signs of trauma on the body or any indications it was suicide.

READ MORE: 10 things you probably didn't know about Prince

Authorities wouldn't comment on whether the incident was drug related, stating it was too early in the investigation to speculate.

Last week the singer had a medical emergency, forcing his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois. He appeared at a concert the next day to show fans he was okay, but told fans to save their prayers.

His publicist told TMZ he was battling the flu, but there is now speculation he may have been battling something more serious.

READ MORE: Prince: A pop star it was okay to like

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