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Music News: Court documents shed light on Prince's health struggles

A member of the Carver County Sheriff's department left Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minn., April 21, 2016 after it was announced that Prince had died.
A member of the Carver County Sheriff's department left Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minn., April 21, 2016 after it was announced that Prince had died.Nate Ryan | MPR

by Jay Gabler

April 17, 2017

On Friday, the Carver County Sheriff's Office released search warrants and affidavits relating to its investigation of Prince’s death last year. "The documents do not solve the mystery of where Prince got the powerful opioid fentanyl that killed him," reports the New York Times. "But they sketch a picture of how this musician, a strict proponent of clean living who suffered from chronic hip pain, concealed his opioid addiction using a variety of methods, including mixing various prescription pills in bottles for everyday products like Bayer and Aleve."

A deputy with the Sheriff's Office says, "The investigation remains active at this point. We've gained a lot of progress over the last year, but there still is some more work to be done."

Meanwhile, a deal Prince's estate posthumously struck with Universal Music Group may be up for revision or even nullification. Why? Because it seems the estate may have misrepresented the terms of Prince's agreement with Warner Bros., his record label from 1979 to 1995. The deal with Universal would have given that label rights to some of the albums from that era, but a 2014 agreement Prince reached with Warner Bros. was highly complex and might have been misunderstood by his representatives. If Universal pulls out of the deal, the estate will be back to the drawing board regarding distribution of Prince's post-1995 catalog. (Variety)

Remembering Sylvia Moy

Songwriter Sylvia Moy has died of pneumonia at age 78. Moy was signed to Motown as a singer-songwriter after being discovered by Marvin Gaye in 1963, but in the end she ended up making her greatest impact as a songwriter — most notably as a co-writer with Stevie Wonder on songs like "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" and "My Cherie Amour." Among Moy's other songwriting credits was "It Takes Two," the hit Gaye duet with Kim Weston — which Moy co-wrote with William "Mickey" Stevenson. (Rolling Stone)

Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster make common cause

Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster have famously been at odds over ticket fees and other matters, but they've found common cause with Seattle's KeyArena. The band are reportedly partnering with Ticketmaster and Live Nation to bid on a contract to overhaul the arena for better acoustics, and (also reportedly) are teasing the idea of a residency in the refurbished space if the deal goes through. (Pitchfork)

Hold the phone

Here's a story your mom is definitely sending to you if you have Coachella tickets: a man was arrested on Friday after stealing over 100 smartphones from festival-goers, in a single day. The alleged thief was nabbed when victims teamed up with security and used the "find my phone" feature to zero in on the stolen stash. (Pitchfork)

Chance has epic birthday cake

Chicken cake? Well, sort of. Chance the Rapper celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday with a party that also served as a fundraiser for his nonprofit SocialWorks. Ludacris, T-Pain, and Big Bird were there, and the cake paid homage to Chance's favorite Chicago food chain, Harold's Chicken Shack. (Pitchfork)