Prince cause of death update: Pop icon dead for six hours before found? Cause of death still a mystery

It has been a month since music superstar Prince was found dead at his Paisley Park home and studio in Minnesota, and while the cause of his death remains unknown, there are recent reports that say he must have been dead for six hours or more before his body was discovered.

According to Minnesota's Star Tribune, a medical personal who responded to the death scene reported that Prince appeared to have been dead for at least six hours before they found him in an elevator in his Minnesota home.

A source told the publication that on April 20 at 6 a.m., one member of his staff had to place a call to New York "seeking advice from someone who had recently worked with the musician." Prince had reportedly been in an agitated state since an emergency treatment for an opioid overdose a few days back.

Later on April 20, an intravenous treatment was allegedly administered to Prince.

Environmental and labor activist from San Francisco Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins was also reportedly consulted for advice by members of Prince's staff a few days prior to his death. She was entrusted the job of recovering Prince's rights to some of his early collection of songs from Warner Bros.

Ellis-Lamkins, who previously refused to comment over the phone, later on wrote to The Star Tribune in an e-mail: "I care deeply about him, and I am not ready to speak publicly. I also know how much he valued his privacy and want to respect his wishes."

Although sources closely associated with the investigation had previously told the news outlet that the pain-killing substance Percocet was present in Prince's system when he died, and that pieces of this drug were recovered in the elevator where his body was found, it cannot be certain what actually led to his passing particularly since the autopsy report has not been released.

Authorities have already ruled out suicide.