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Prince Bandmate Recounts Memory Lapses and Panic in Final Months

The recollections point to heavy painkiller use for hip pain as a factor in his decline.

Overview

  • Former Revolution bassist BrownMark shared in new interviews that Prince showed short-term memory loss and looked panicked in the months before his 2016 death.
  • He recalled flying to Minneapolis at Prince’s request, only for Prince to forget inviting him, which left the bassist waiting at a hotel until drummer John Blackwell Jr. intervened.
  • BrownMark said the lapses grew more frequent over time and he linked them to opioid pain pills for chronic hip pain, saying the drugs clouded memory.
  • Officials in 2016 ruled the death an accidental fentanyl overdose, and investigators reported finding counterfeit pills that resembled prescription pain medicine.
  • Reports at the time said Prince had planned to meet an addiction specialist the next day, a detail that suggests he was seeking help late in the crisis.