RIP Prince

[uwe]

Was he a coke head too? That is one drug the body - unlike heroin for instance, you don't die from heroin after-effects years after you have kicked the habit  - never forgets. The reaper holds feast with all heavy coke users decades after they have given the habit up ... Jeff Porcaro, Robert Palmer, JAE ... Rick Parfitt's numerous heart attacks and by-passes ...

That said, flu can be a serious and tasking disease, I 've had the flu twice myself, the swine flu was extremely severe for about two to three days, yet you recovered quickly from it. But before that I had a regular flu (sometime in the 90ies) and that knocked me off my feet like nothing before or after. I was badly sick, feverish, for two weeks and weak from it for months. Even without a cocaine habit! (I tried it twice in the 80ies, it never did nothing for me except a running nose and numb gums.) Ever since then I take flu shots every year - no desire to repeat the exercise ever again (the flu shots at the time couldn't help agains the swine flu, that is why I caught that from someone in the office). Once you have had the flu, you'll never refer to even a severe cold as "the flu" again.

[Pilgrim]

We have forgotten that flu (influenza) epidemics in the late 1800's and early 1900's killed many thousands of people in the US. It's better controlled than it was, but still nothing to mess with.

[Dave W]

We have forgotten that flu (influenza) epidemics in the late 1800's and early 1900's killed many thousands of people in the US. It's better controlled than it was, but still nothing to mess with.

True. A pity, whatever the cause of his death. Supposedly he was sick enough that his private plane had to make an emergency landing the other day. Did he see a doctor after he got home?

No surprise here that local media went batshit this afternoon, preempting programming to talk to anyone who claimed to have a connection to him. And in this day and age, there's no shortage of people who like being in the spotlight.

[lowend1]

I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but the emergency landing was due to his OD'ing on the plane. They gave him a "save shot" on the ground, but transported him to the hospital where he was treated further and advised to hang around. Apparently he couldn't get a private room so he was hustled back home (seriously). A day later, he seemed fine, but then...

[Dave W]

I heard a rumor, has it been confirmed?

[rahock]

Great player, very odd dude. Still sad
Rick

[uwe]

I really liked his lead guitar playing. He wasn't much of a singer (in the sense of a full-bodied voice, he was technically fine), but his lead guitar playing had that inspired frenzy/reckless quality, like Neil Young without the bum notes! 

And I liked his Charly Chaplin meets Little Richard look.

That Little Richard would outlive Prince as one of the people he inspired is somewhat unexpected.

[lowend1]

I heard a rumor, has it been confirmed?

If you mean an official statement of something, no. Most of the major news outlets are running with it as a subhead, so something is up. Where there's smoke...
I was watching TV last night and they had the guy from TMZ.com on a couple of hours before this part of the story broke. He was being very careful not to say anything at that point because they were waiting for additional corroboration on the reports. They suspected that something was up because the plane was less than an hour away from landing when they had the emergency stop in Moline, Il. Typically, the flu is something that does not require emergency treatment, and if it does, you're in ICU or something until you're stronger - not released 3 hours later. Then there's the images of him in the parking lot at his local Walgreen's - which he had visited four times in the past week - supposedly only hours before he died. The store employees described him as being more nervous and frail than usual, and he was reportedly pacing around in the parking lot, sweating.
This morning, GMA had Sheila E on, and they asked her about any health problems he may have had had, and she responded a little awkwardly, referring to him as an "athlete" and talked about him being in pain, hip injuries from performing and the like. I'm playing detective here a bit, so maybe I'm full of crap, but when a legit doctor prescribes really strong painkillers, they do it in small quantities, for obvious reasons. That would necessitate repeated trips for medication.
Also, noted medical authority and Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has commented :
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/aretha-franklin-speculates-prince-death-zika-article-1.2610355

UPDATE: Another report I just heard specifically mentioned Percocet with regard to the alleged overdose.

[Granny Gremlin]

I really liked his lead guitar playing. He wasn't much of a singer (in the sense of a full-bodied voice, he was technically fine), but his lead guitar playing had that inspired frenzy/reckless quality, like Neil Young without the bum notes! 

And I liked his Charly Chaplin meets Little Richard look.

That Little Richard would outlive Prince as one of the people he inspired is somewhat unexpected.

Total agreement.

[uwe]

Jake, I find your more recent constant agreeing with me unsettling! What comes next?!

[Granny Gremlin]

I teased you a bit earlier for counterbalance.

[Dave W]

I've also heard it was Percocet, prescribed for his ongoing hip problems or something like that. Maybe he didn't have the flu at all. If he did, the medication probably made it worse.

[Granny Gremlin]

Between a repiratory (vs gastro-intestinal)  flu and a downer opioid like percs, it is possible to have enough difficulty breathing to die of suffocation.  I hope that's not what happened because it's a terrible way to go.

[uwe]

I teased you a bit earlier for counterbalance.

I expect - no, demand! - you to return to your usual contrarian stance without undue delay! Home is where the heart is.

[Pekka]

A shock and a huge loss. I just respected his memory by ordering a bunch of his old 12" singles from the eighties. A thing that I was about to do a long long time ago but managed only now.

He had great B-sides on those and the A-sides weren't album versions either. How about 10 minute live takes of both "I Would Die 4 U" and "Mountains" or a 21 (!) minute version of "America"?

His Warner back catalogue has been in a sorry state for too long (for reasons perhaps Prince only knew?) but I have a sneaking suspicion that Deluxe Editions are on their way, starting with "Purple Rain".

One of my fav Prince tracks is "Head" from "Dirty Mind" album. Great tight funk groove on bass and drums, most likely played by himself.