An attorney for the addiction expert who was enlisted to treat Prince on the day before the singer’s Apr. 21 death held a press conference on Wednesday to detail the plan to save the singer from an apparent opioid addiction.
During the conference, Minnesota-based attorney William Mauzy detailed how Mill Valley, California-based addiction specialist Dr. Howard Kornfeld was contacted by representatives for the singer on Apr. 20 and “set into motion a plan to deal with what he felt was a life-saving mission. And that mission was to get Prince to a doctor in Minnesota on Thursday morning.”
The doctor, described as “a trusted colleague” of Kornfeld’s, agreed to clear his morning schedule on Apr. 21 to ensure privacy for Prince. The plan was for the doctor to “do an assessment and get a feel for the nature of the problem, make some recommendations and treat him if need be at that time,” Mauzy said, with Kornfeld showing up Apr. 22.
According to Mauzy, Kornfeld’s son, Andrew Kornfeld — a staffer at the Recovery Without Walls facility run by Kornfeld — took a red-eye flight to Minnesota on Wednesday, and arrived at Prince’s Paisley Park home on Thursday morning to talk to the singer.
“Andrew’s purpose in being there was to describe the Recovery Without Walls program to familiarize Prince with that. Prince would go there for pain management and any addiction issues that he wanted,” Mauzy said.
Asked if it was an intervention-type situation, Mauzy replied, “Yes.”
The younger Kornfeld was picked up at approximately 9:30 a.m., Mauzy said, but when he arrived at Paisley Park, Prince wasn’t available. Staffers found the singer unconscious in his elevator shortly thereafter, and Kornfeld called 911. Responders were unable to revive the singer.
During Wednesday’s conference, Mauzy said that Andrew Kornfeld had pills in his backpack that are “used in pain management and addiction.” Mauzy emphasized that the pills were to be given to the Minnesota doctor, and that there was never any intent by either Kornfeld to give Prince the medication.
Mauzy also said that he believes the Good Samaritan 911 law for people who make emergency calls should provide Kornfeld with immunity for the pills.
“All hindsight, of course, [Dr. Kornfeld] wishes he had had the opportunity to meet him and treat him along with the local Minnesota doctor,” Mauzy said during the conference.
The attorney added that the events of Apr. 21 were “difficult” for the younger Kornfeld.
“It was difficult [to] arrive after a red-eye and go to talk to Prince in a positive way and he arrives to see him unconscious in an elevator,” Mauzy said.
Since Prince’s death, attention has shifted to whether the singer was addicted to opioid painkillers. The singer was reportedly in possession of painkillers at the time of his death, and according to reports he was treated for an overdose of the opioid painkiller Percocet days before his death.