Prince's died of an opioid overdose: Autopsy report reveals fatal dose of self-administered Fentanyl killed music icon

Prince's died of an opioid overdose,  according to an autopsy report released on Thursday by the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office. The 57 year old iconic singer was found dead on April 21 at his Minneapolis-area estate.

The autopsy report also revealed that the 5ft 3in singer weighed just 112lbs at the time of his death, and that he was dressed entirely in black (cap, pants, shirt, socks and boxer briefs) when his unresponsive body was discovered on April 21 inside an elevator at his Paisley Park estate just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He also revealed that the performer would spend up to $40,000 on six-month supplies of two drugs - Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches. 

WHAT IS FENTANYL?

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. 

It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. 

It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates.

Like heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, fentanyl works by binding to the body's opiate receptors, highly concentrated in areas of the brain that control pain and emotions. 

When opiate drugs bind to these receptors, they can drive up dopamine levels in the brain's reward areas, producing a state of euphoria and relaxation. 

When prescribed by a physician, fentanyl is often administered via injection, transdermal patch, or in lozenge form. 

The type of fentanyl associated with recent overdoses was produced in clandestine laboratories and mixed with (or substituted for) heroin in a powder form.

Side effects of the drug include euphoria, drowsiness/respiratory depression and arrest, nausea, confusion, constipation, sedation, unconsciousness, coma, tolerance, and addiction.