Kiss rocker Gene Simmons thought Prince was a phenomenal artist whose talents eclipsed others, such as Michael Jackson's, but was blunt in discussing Prince's recent passing with Newsweek: "How pathetic that he killed himself."
PAST COVERAGE: Prince struggled with being sick a lot in final months, chef says
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
Simmons did not mean to imply suicide but rather, suggested that substance abuse ultimately caused Prince's death.
"(David) Bowie was the most tragic of all because it was real sickness," Simmons said during the Newsweek interview. "All the other ones were a choice. (Prince's) drugs killed him... that's what drugs and alcohol is: a slow death."
Bowie died in January of cancer.
Prince died at 57 one week after two sold-out concerts in Atlanta. Investigators found no signs of trauma, and suicide is not suspected, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said during a news conference following the autopsy. Official details remain scant amid tabloid speculation that drugs were involved.
Chef Ray Roberts told the AP that his client, who did not eat meat, seemed to be ailing for weeks at a time and requested " smoothies and fresh juices to soothe his throat or stomach."
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