How many roses to cover an abyss #2: One Week Before
On Thursday, April 14, 2016, Prince leaves Edina, Minneapolis, together with Kirk, his right-hand man, and Judith, a singer and friend of his. They travel by private jet to Atlanta, where two consecutive concerts are scheduled. Around midnight, the group made up of Prince, Kirk, and Judith returns to the airport to head back to Minneapolis. The after-party originally planned in Atlanta is canceled.
During the return flight, Prince falls ill, and the plane makes an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois.
Prince is hospitalized and kept under observation until the following morning, when he asks to be discharged and returns to Minneapolis. During his stay, he categorically refuses to undergo any tests. A statement is released attributing his condition to the after-effects of the flu.
To quiet the rumors, Prince organizes an event at Paisley Park for the following Saturday, April 16. He doesn’t perform — it’s simply a Dance Party.
Prince spends Sunday the 17th alone; he is photographed riding his bicycle around the Paisley building.
On Monday morning, the 18th, Prince speaks on the phone with his sister and exchanges several emails with people checking on how he’s doing.
In the evening, his driver Kim takes Prince to the Dakota, where he listens to jazz with Josh and Hannah, then takes them to eat at the Calhoun Beach Club, and afterward to the Edina Theater, where they watch a movie. Kim drives Prince home at 2:00 a.m.
That same evening of the 18th, there had been a dinner at Paisley: present were Meron, Prince’s personal assistant, Kirk, and, arriving at a certain point, Larry, a bassist and friend of Prince’s. The cook, Ray, brings dinner along with wine, which is left in the fridge.
On Tuesday the 19th, between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m., a meeting takes place among the same people to decide whether to cancel some of the tour’s upcoming concerts, due to Prince’s health condition. They also discuss the need for him to be seen by a doctor. Kirk takes charge of scheduling an appointment with his personal physician for the following day.
Following the timeline of events, some discrepancies emerge: Josh recalls an evening out with Prince, including a dinner together, on Monday the 18th. However, both Larry and the cook, Ray, say that on the 18th there was a dinner at Paisley, attended by Meron, Kirk, Larry, and Prince. Larry points out that he arrived after dinner was already over. It’s possible that Prince, after this dinner, still went out with Josh and Hannah.
On Wednesday, April 20, Kirk calls Prince’s former manager, Krystal, and tells her they are seeking help to address Prince’s dependence on painkillers.
In the afternoon, Kirk goes to Paisley and, around 5:00 p.m., takes Prince to the clinic where his personal physician works.
Prince agrees to undergo blood and urine tests. He explains his symptoms to the doctor. He admits to being dependent on painkillers. He is experiencing withdrawal symptoms and asks to be given something to ease the pain tormenting him. He says he feels anxious.
Around 7:30 p.m., Kirk drops him off at the entrance to Paisley. Prince goes up to his rooms, after saying that the medication he was given isn’t working.
That evening, Kirk’s doctor receives a call from Prince’s attorney, Phaedra. Shortly afterward, a video conference takes place in which Phaedra, the doctor, and Dr. Kornfeld — head of Recovery Without Walls, an organization specializing in addiction treatment — discuss the possibility of Prince agreeing to be admitted to the facility to treat his dependency. Dr. Kornfeld has sent his son, Andrew, to Minneapolis to speak with Prince the following day.
After 7:30 p.m., no one sees Prince. He responds to an email around 8:00 p.m., and after that, he does not reply to any further emails or messages. Kirk calls him several times on the phone, but Prince never answers.
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