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Nancy Grace
Music Legend Prince Dead at 57; N.C. Farmer Introduces Disabled Children to Healing Power of Horses. Aired 8-8:30p ET
Aired April 21, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prince has died at the age of 57.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here at Paisley Park, a Prince`s home studio where he had a lot of concerts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many of Prince`s fans showing up here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The medical examiner and the crime lab -- they are processing the area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A true icon in music, entertainment and as a man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news right now. Music legend Prince dead at 57.
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
This is what we know. We know that Prince`s body was found in the elevator of his home at Paisley Park. We know that he was unresponsive at the time.
People were in his home. Who found him, we don`t know. We`ve gotten reports that a female is the one that called 911, simply saying, Man down.
When the police came, when EMTs came, they tried for a solid 30 minutes to revive the music legend to no avail.
What else do we know? We know that he has not gone into autopsy yet, that he is being transported to Midwest Regional Medical examiners. What are
they looking for? Possibly inflammation of the lungs and heart. Why? During his last concert, he was having difficulties all the way home from
that concert.
Yes, the consummate professional performed multiple sets, one after the next after the next. The audience begged him back at the Fox Theater in
Atlanta. He continued to come back and back and back. It was nothing but Prince, a piano and a microphone.
But that night on the way home, he had an emergency touchdown just 48 minutes away from his home in Minnesota. He went into the hospital. But
he came out. As late as Tuesday night, he was spotted at a local jazz club watching a performance, holding up his cane, supporting the jazz artist.
He was out this weekend, spotted on his bicycle out on Sunday.
Two and two are not fitting together. They`re not equaling four. That`s what we know right now.
Straight out to Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com. Candace, how did it all play out? And what do we know at this hour?
CANDACE TRUNZO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): Well, we know that about six days ago, as you said, Nancy, he performed on a Thursday night in
Atlanta, you know, gave one of his stellar performances.
The following day, on his way back in his private plane to the Minneapolis area, they had to make an emergency landing. He was in the hospital for
just three hours. And then he returned home only to be out and about, going to Walgreen`s, biking, even making a surprise appearance at a party
and performing a little bit over the weekend in town locally.
Now, there are reports now that he went to the hospital because of a drug overdose. Dailymail.com has not confirmed that yet, but there are reports
out there that the emergency landing was due to a drug overdose. That`s why he was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors gave him what they call a save shot administered to counteract the effects of some kind of opiate. And he refused to stay in the hospital.
Doctors wanted him to stay on. He refused to do that. And he left after three hours. We know that...
GRACE: You know, Candace Trunzo, senior news editor at Dailymail.com -- everybody, you`re seeing Prince "Let`s Go Crazy" from Warner Bros.
Candace Trunzo, we haven`t been able to confirm that. I know the Dailymail is reporting it. I know that TMZ is reporting it.
TRUNZO: Yes.
GRACE: But what I also know is that he was a late in life convert to Jehovah`s Witness. And to my understanding -- to Brian Stelter, CNN senior
media correspondent, host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" -- he totally turned his life around, extremely dedicated, even going door to door preaching
Jehova`s Witness. And it was known among people that performed with him, you were not to even use a curse word around Prince.
He totally redirected his music. He was very open about his faith. I`ll believe it when I read the medical examiner`s report that this was a drug
overdose. I don`t believe it. That just popped up out of nowhere.
[20:05:05]Here`s Prince, "1999" Warner Bros.
What about it, Stelter?
BRIAN STELTER, HOST, CNN "RELIABLE SOURCES": Certainly, Prince an intensely private person, someone who walled off his private life from his
public life. For example, at his performances, he did not want people taking pictures. He did not want them taking videos. He wanted to control
his own image in a unique way among artists. He is a true -- I`m still talking in a first person, Nancy -- (INAUDIBLE) in present tense, Nancy --
a true pop genius, a true pop legend, someone with true artistry.
And I know these reports tonight are shocking. Obviously, there`s no confirmation from the authorities. I don`t think we`ll have any
information on the record any time soon. It`s going to take a lot of time for the local authorities to get to the bottom of what happened. And
unfortunately, in that...
GRACE: Hold on. Hold on just one moment about it taking a lot of time because, Stelter, I want to go out to Dr. Lee Norman. He is the chief
medical officer, University of Kansas Hospital.
I hear what Stelter is saying as far as investigating the facts surrounding Prince`s death. But we`re going to know very soon about the cause of death
because even though the medical examiner and deputy sheriffs are still at Paisley Park where he lives -- it was basically his own studio -- when that
autopsy is done some time tomorrow morning, we`re going to know cause of death, Doctor.
DR. LEE NORMAN, UNIV. OF KANSAS HOSPITAL: Well, we can certainly know some preliminary things. If this is truly related to influenza, then his lungs
and his heart could well show some abnormalities. Some of the toxin results could take six to eight weeks. But we`ll have gross findings
tomorrow.
GRACE: Well, what I don`t understand Dr. Lee Norman -- here is Prince in "I Want to Be Your Lover" from Warner Bros.
What I don`t understand is this. He`s 57 years old, Dr. Norman. He`s fit as a fiddle. Yes, he had a bout with the flu. But this weekend, he`s out
riding his bike. Tuesday night, he`s at a jazz club, catching a set.
How do you go from riding your bike Saturday at this young age to dead in your elevator on Thursday? How does that happen? Two and two is not
equaling four tonight. Help me, Doctor.
NORMAN: Well, you`re right about that, Nancy. If this is a flu-related complication, you would not expect him to have a completely normal interval
in between there. Remember that 57-year-olds are not free of other kinds of heart disease and things, cerebral aneurysms and things that can cause
sudden death. So I think it`ll be enlightening. Some of those things should show up...
GRACE: OK, whoa-whoa!
NORMAN: ... fairly immediately on the...
GRACE: Dr. Norman, I`m the JD, you`re the MD. You know, don`t throw medical terms on me. We didn`t have that in law school. Are you saying a
blood clot to the brain, a cerebral aneurysm? Is that what you`re saying?
NORMAN: A 57-year-old can have those same chronic things that older people do, meaning heart disease or a blowout of a vessel in the brain.
GRACE: Let me ask you think, Dr. Norman...
NORMAN: We can`t know that for sure.
GRACE: How could a flu, a pneumonia or a flu work its deadly dance on Prince to where he dies on Thursday? What can the flu do? Can it inflame
your heart? What can it do to your lungs?
NORMAN: Yes.
GRACE: How can that end in death, if untreated?
NORMAN: Thirty thousand people a year die of influenza. It`s usually due to an infection in the lungs, but it can be due to an infection in the
heart.
GRACE: You mean, it can go from the lung to the heart?
Here is "1999" from Warner Bros.
NORMAN: Yes, it can, and can cause contraction difficulties in the heart.
GRACE: What about this? He was just in the hospital and gets out. What about the possibility of staph infection?
NORMAN: That would be unlikely. They would have probably treated him differently and kept him longer, if he was willing to stay.
GRACE: Right. You know, Brian Stelter, there was talk that the hospital wanted him to stay and he wouldn`t stay.
STELTER: That`s right. That`s according to TMZ tonight, and not confirmed by CNN. But TMZ does have a pretty good track record on these issues.
And you can understand why a world famous star like Prince might not want to spend multiple days in the hospital, especially if they cannot have
privacy. And I think -- you know, you and I both know how this works. These people travel with entourages. They`re going to want to be home when
they can.
And Prince in particular had his beloved home there in Minnesota. In fact, he held an event there over the weekend after this alleged emergency
landing and this hospital stay, where he wanted to greet his fans. So over the weekend, he wanted to tell them and show them he was doing all right.
GRACE: That`s a Prince music video "When the Doves Cry" from Warner Bros.
Put Stelter up, please. Stelter, it was not an alleged emergency landing, OK? He had an emergency landing after his set in Atlanta. He was -- this
is what`s so odd about it, Brian -- Brian Stelter with me, CNN senior media correspondent and host of "RELIABLE SOURCES" -- is that he was just 48
minutes from home, but he couldn`t wait. He had to touch down. But yet even with that drama, he didn`t stay in the hospital.
[20:10:10] STELTER: Right. That`s right. And of course, you are the expert on the word "alleged," Nancy. I will give that to you. He did then
a day later, you know, did go back to Minnesota, and then over the weekend, wanting to speak to his fans. He even made a comment about people not
wanting to give him prayers prematurely. So clearly, he wanted the public to believe he was doing all right, whether he was or not.
GRACE: This is "Saturday Night Live" from NBC Broadway Video.
To Randi Kaye, CNN anchor and correspondent, joining us at a celebration of Prince`s life. Randi, there where you`re surrounded by Prince`s friends
and admirers, what is the response to these revelations?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Nancy. Yes, we are here sort of in a pretty popular spot in Brooklyn. We`re outside Spike Lee`s office.
And there`s at least 100 or so, maybe a couple hundred people gathered here on the street. They`re going to celebrate Prince`s life tonight, play some
of his music very shortly here.
But I talked to many in this crowd, and you know, it`s amazing because I talked to people who grew up in the `60s, grew up in the `70s, who grew up
in the `80s, and they all tell me that they all grew up listening to Prince`s music. So he really does cross so many generations. I asked
people what they thought when they first heard what had happened. One woman told me she was breathless. Another told me that she is just
heartbroken, Nancy.
GRACE: You know, to Dr. Terry Lyles, psychologist and author joining me out of Florida. Let`s follow up on that. The response has been
heartbreak, shock...
TERRY LYLES, PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes.
GRACE: ... all across the country. I`m trying to figure out -- not very many people knew Prince. He was extremely private especially since the
death of his only child, a baby boy. He had one baby boy from his first of his two marriages. He died very, very young. He was just, you know, a few
weeks old, and he died of a very rare genetic disorder. He was never the same after that. Hence, his life has been entirely private.
So why are so many people connected to Prince?
(CROSSTALK)
LYLES: Of course, and an icon like Prince that has worldwide fame, people know him, adore him, love him. And even though he kept his life private,
they associate with as much as they can know about him on stage, in concerts, reading tweets about him. So as fans, we`re connected to him.
And as you mention about the child`s death, that is very traumatic, and if not processed correctly is very difficult to...
GRACE: You know, Dr. Lyles...
LYLES: ... get (INAUDIBLE) because you never really get over it. We live with it.
GRACE: I think one of the reasons that people have connected to Prince is this. We not only see him and think we know him, but his music was there
when we`re all growing up. We remember -- I remember where I was the first time I heard "Purple Rain" and who I was with.
LYLES: Yes.
GRACE: I remember when all of his hits came out. And people connect. It`s like there`s a sound track playing in your mind of your own life.
LYLES: Absolutely.
GRACE: And Prince is part of it, whether he realizes it or not, Dr. Lyles.
LYLES: Well, it shows you how powerful music is as a medium to communicate messages and inspiration and hope, and he did our (ph) thing. You know, we
love him.
GRACE: Prince music video "I Want to Be Your Lover," Warner Bros.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:17:50]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was to me inspiring because he was -- he taught you that it was OK to be different.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can be inspirational. And that`s why it`s so important to let your gift be guided.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Breaking news now, music icon Prince is dead at age 57. We know the medical examiner and deputy still at the home, Paisley Park in
Minnesota. They were called there this morning around 9:43 AM when Prince was found unresponsive in his personal elevator in his home.
His home also serves as -- we can see a shot of Paisley Park -- is a huge compound that is not only his living space but also song production. There
are stage sets there. There`s recording equipment. There`s always somebody on call he can call at 2:00 AM from his bedroom and say, Hey, play
back that track I just laid down, and they`ll be there and they`ll get it going for him.
He works feverishly throughout the day and the night, has never been afraid of hard work. And at this hour, we are trying to determine the cause of
death as rumors fly.
Now, Alan Duke, editor-in-chief, Leadstories.com, you have gotten what we believe to be an unconfirmed copy of the 911 dispatch transcript. What
have you learned, Alan?
I think I`ve got Alan Duke with me. Do you have your transcript, Alan? What can you tell us?
ALAN DUKE, LEADSTORIES.COM: Yes, I do. Just a few minutes ago, the Carver County deputy -- chief deputy sent me the transcript in which it outlines
the conversation, an unidentified male, not a female calling 911 at 9:43 this morning and telling the dispatcher that, We have a person dead here.
The dispatcher said, How do you know? And then this man said, I don`t know how I know.
[20:20:05]And then they couldn`t figure out what the address was, and they went back and forth trying to figure out what the address -- he said, It`s
Prince`s house. The dispatcher didn`t know the address. Finally, he said it`s Paisley Park. That`s when they figured it out and that`s when they
dispatched help.
GRACE: I see that they say, We`ve got someone who is unconscious. What`s the address? We`re at Prince`s house. Your phone is not going to tell me
where you`re at. You need to find an address.
And so they`re fumbling around, trying to find an address. They tell them to concentrate on that. The guy says, I`m working, I`m working. Then he
gives the address, 7801 Paisley Park -- Paisley Park, Chanhassen.
And the guy says, Yes, it`s Prince. They beg him, Stay on the line with me. And you hear them calling the ambulance to come -- down, not
breathing, down, not breathing. They send out dispatch immediately, and they commence life support, CPR, for the next half an hour. It doesn`t
work.
I want to go back out to Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com. Candace, what more can you tell us? Who found Prince?
TRUNZO: Well, we don`t know exactly who found him. I mean, he was -- you know, he was in a -- you know, Paisley Park is huge. And you know, as you
say, Nancy, not only was it his home, it was his recording studio. It was his sound stage. And he had many people around him. So exactly who found
him, we don`t know. But we do know that paramedics were dispatched right away.
GRACE: Yes.
CANDACE: And we know that, you know...
GRACE: Hey, Candace Trunzo, hold on one moment. We`re being joined right now live outside of Paisley Park with Jennifer Mayerle with CNN affiliate
WCCO. Jennifer, thank you for being with us. What`s going on at Prince`s compound right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You OK?
GRACE: Hold on. Let me know when we get her up. Everybody, you`re seeing Prince`s music video "Let`s Go Crazy."
Let me know when we go live to Paisley Park, Liz. Candace, go ahead.
TRUNZO: Well, you know, this is the thing, we just don`t know. But you know, it -- what`s strange to me, Nancy, and we talked about this, is, you
know, he was going out. He was biking out. He was going to his local Walgreen`s by himself. What was he getting there? What was going on?
This is several times, the last time last night.
So these reports of some kind of drug-related condition, why his airplane had to be -- emergency sitdown before he arrived in Minneapolis...
GRACE: And so close to home, which almost is illogical.
Everyone, we`re taking you live to Paisley Park. This is Prince`s music video "When Doves Cry" from Warner Bros.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:27:18] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Massive loss in the world of music, pop culture, art, superstar music pioneer, music legend Prince.
PRINCE, POP LEGEND: I really searched deep within to find out the answer to whether fame was most important to me or my spiritual well-being, and I
chose the latter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Superstar Prince dead at 57. Tonight, we`re trying to connect the dots. What happened to Prince? Joining me right now at Paisley Park from
CNN affiliate WCCO is Jennifer Mayerle. Jennifer, thank you for being with us. What do you see there? What have you learned, Jennifer?
JENNIFER MAYERLE, WCCO CORRESPONDENT: You know, it`s interesting. People have been coming here all day to Paisley Park studios to pay their respects
to Prince.
What we have learned is that Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator this morning. Life-saving CPR was attempted but was unsuccessful.
And since people have learned of Prince`s passing, they have been here all day long, talking about what the musical icon meant to them. Some people
we have seen have been in tears. Other people are smiling, talking about what an inspiration he is.
We also just got the transcript of the 911 call which talked about an unidentified male making that call this morning about someone who was
unconscious and needing an ambulance, Nancy.
GRACE: Jennifer Mayerle joining us there at Paisley Park, Prince`s home, WCCO. Jennifer, are the deputies still there? Is law enforcement still
there? We saw a long line of vehicles, including the medical examiner, there on our last aerial shot. Are they all still there processing the
scene?
MAYERLE: There are still sheriffs deputies here. They have been here throughout the day. And at times, they will drive through this area behind
me, making sure that everyone is safe here and kind of obeying what they want people to do to be respectful.
GRACE: Well, I`m trying to figure out what`s going on inside Paisley Park. I mean, I appreciate everyone giving their respect, but I`m trying to piece
together the little bit that we have to cobble together an answer. We`re getting all sorts of conflicting reports about what has happened to Prince.
We know that his body is going to be autopsied. That doesn`t sound like a natural death.
What do you know? Are people going in and out of Paisley Park?
MAYERLE: We know that an autopsy will be done tomorrow at the location where we are at, where we can see one of the entrances to Paisley Park.
There has not been a lot of movement. So there is another entrance. But at this time, in the last few hours, there has been no movement that we
have seen in or out of this massive complex here in Chanhassen.
GRACE: Jennifer Mayerle joining us, WCCO. And what we know is that the scene is still being processed. Why, if this is a natural death? We have
no reason to think it is otherwise, and as of right now, rejecting claims that this had anything to do with drugs or alcohol.
Here is Prince "Little Red Corvette," MTV.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE, POP MUSIC ICON (singing): "I guess I should`ve closed my eyes When you drove me to the place Where your horses run free `Cause I felt a little ill When I saw all the pictures Of the jockeys that were there before me
Believe it or not I started to worry I wondered if I had enough class But it was Saturday night ..."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A one-hour special event, "Nancy Investigates".
GRACE: Stunning and damning (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tragic accidents? He was saying, `oh my God, oh my God. My son is dead.`
Callous murder.
GRACE: ... accused of leaving baby boy to die in a baking-hot car on car park. The defense, it was a tragic accident. But how can you forget your
baby?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before the trial begins, see how it all started. Nancy Grace, tomorrow night at 8:00 on "HLN".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The artist, Prince, is dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, this is certainly the sort of news that you don`t want to believe is true, but Prince has died at the age of 57 years old.
[20:35:00] PRINCE: I really don`t like categories, but the only thing I could think of is inspirational. And I think music that is from the heart
falls right into that category.
PRINCE: "Why do we scream at each other This is what it sounds like When doves cry"
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight we are cobbling together the facts that we know to determine what killed music icon Prince.
We know that the medical examiner will begin the autopsy in the morning there at the Midwest Regional Medical Examiners Office.
I want to go out to Polo Sandoval, CNN correspondent joining us at The Fox Theatre. That was where his last concert was.
Polo, thank you for being with us. What, if anything, have you learned regarding his last concert?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what`s incredible here, Nancy, is we have to remember only seven days ago there were thousands of people that
packed into the theater that you see behind me.
They were watching prince take the stage, and they didn`t know it at the time but they were watching what is now Prince`s final public performance.
And now tonight, we have seen many people come back out here to the Fox Theatre in Midtown Atlanta for a very different reason though, Nancy, now -
- to reflect on this artist. In fact ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Where was he? Oh.
SANDOVAL: ... Fox Theatre speaking earlier saying that since 1982, Nancy, Prince performed 12 times here at the Fox Theatre and of course ...
(CROSSTALK)
SANDOVAL: ... at the most recent time, just seven days ago, Nancy.
GRACE: What I`m trying to figure out is from that performance, what, if anything, we can deduce about the cause of his death.
What we have learned regarding his performance, a piano and a microphone and Prince, that`s all there was. No backup singers. No big performance.
Just him.
He took up the whole Fox Theatre. And people were riveted. They kept begging him back and he kept coming back on stage. Was there any sign that
anything was wrong with him then?
SANDOVAL: Well, Nancy, there is a potential clue here. We have to remember that that concert that was held seven days ago was initially supposed to
happen a week before but was postponed because Prince was feeling under the weather.
What does that mean? At this point we don`t know. I think there could be many questions. I could tell you that I did speak to some of the people who
were lucky enough to be inside at that concert.
They did say that he did break away from the stage a few moments potentially to rest and then, of course, came out back and apologized for
the delay.
But again, it would be very interesting to find out what happened backstage at the theater you see behind me.
GRACE: With me right now, a special guest. This is Matthew Knowles, a star in his own right, also known as Beyonce Knowles`s father.
Mr. Knowles, thank you for being with us. OK, I can`t hear Mr. Knowles. Liz, could you address his satellite issue and let me know when you have
Mr. Knowles back up?
Everybody, we are taking your calls at 877-626-2901. Mr. Knowles, can you hear me?
MATHEW KNOWLES, BEYONCE KNOWLES` FATHER: I can hear you, can you hear me?
GRACE: Great. Yes, I can. Thank you for being with us.
KNOWLES: Thank you, Nancy. It`s a sad day in the music industry.
GRACE: You know, it really is -- and not just within the music industry, for all the millions of people that loved Prince, that his music meant
something to them.
It`s not just music, Mr. Knowles. It affects people at certain times of their lives. And when they think back on their lives, they remember this
sound track. They remember these moments in their lives.
Here`s Prince and Beyonce at the Grammy`s. Mr. Knowles, you worked with Prince and his team. Tell me your impressions of him.
KNOWLES: Well, he was a -- he was a professional. He was a -- I mean, we`re talking about an icon, a legend. Beyonce was so excited and anticipated the
performance.
But I can only say someone with 39 albums, 28 tours, 7 Grammys, we`re talking about someone that, you`re right, whose connections with his fans
and the fans become family. The fans become his family.
GRACE: Everyone, you`re seeing Beyonce performing with Prince. With us, Beyonce`s dad, Mathew Knowles. It wasn`t just an act for him, Mr. Knowles.
He was involved in the world. He tried to make the world a better place. He did.
KNOWLES: And I think that`s what we will remember about Prince the most, is his impact not just his music, but on all of our lives.
GRACE: Also with me, in addition to Mr. Knowles -- Mr. Knowles, Paul Vercammen, CNN reporter joining me at L.A. Paul, what are you learning?
[20:40:00] PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN REPORTER: Well, Nancy, right out here we`re getting a sense for just how beloved Prince is and was. And what we found
out is the same thing that everybody else has heard, that they tried to revive Prince, that they tried to administer CPR, that they failed then
they pronounced him dead.
We`re also learning that the fans are speaking with their wallets. We saw fans buy hundreds of dollars` worth of Prince DVDs at Amoeba Music.
We also understand number 1, 2, 3, 4 right now on the iTunes charts are all Prince albums. And if you want to get a sense, Nancy, go ahead and let me
know right now. I`ve got a die hard Prince fan.
If you look over here just to my right, she`s got her Prince shirt on. She began listening to -- this is Loretta (ph). She`s been emotional all day.
You`re wearing glasses because you`ve been mourning his loss. What did Prince mean to you?
LORETTA (PH), DIE HARD PRINCE FAN: Prince meant the world to me. He really did. I mean, throughout his musical journey, it`s been like the soundtrack
of my entire life.
And I just feel like there`s not going to be any more music in my life now that Prince is gone. He`s just gone. I`m just devastated. And I don`t know
how do you pick up your musical soul when it`s gone?
GRACE: I hear you.
(CROSSTALK)
VERCAMMEN: You had said to me ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I hear you.
(CROSSTALK)
VERCAMMEN: ... there are also ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: And it seems like, Paul, that people connected with him on such a personal level.
Ryan Cameron with me at Prince`s last concert, V-103, Star. Ryan, what can you tell me about that last concert?
RYAN CAMERON, V103 RADIO HOST, AT LAST PRINCE CONCERT: I can tell you that it was -- it was magnificent. The first show was different from the second
show.
You know, people who got a chance to see that first show, they got songs that they didn`t hear in the second show.
You know, he kept coming out for encore after encore after encore. You know, the people that I know that were helping to put it on said that he
did feel under the weather. He did. But that was mentioned -- the first thing he said when he came out, Atlanta, I want to apologized for the
cancellations. I`m here now. Are you here? And of course the crowd went crazy.
GRACE: Everybody, I want to show you something. This is "Saturday Night Live" from NBC Broadway video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE (DRAMATIZATION): Some say that justice is blind. If it is, it hasn`t seen my next guest. Please welcome Nancy Grace.
GRACE (DRAMATIZATION): Wow, I can`t believe I am here tonight. I am so exhausted between Duke, Don and Dannilynn.
But Prince, I grew up on your music. Back in the 80`s me and my girlfriends, especially Julie, we used to go to a little club called Mardi
Gras and they had free shrimp if you got there before six.
You know I just want to let you all know that I used to jump around and sing that Sheena Easton song of yours, "U Got the Look", you remember that
song? "You`ve got the look, you`ve got my book, then you goobie-doobie- doobie my book!" I don`t know the words.
BEYONCE KNOWLES (DRAMATIZATION): Nancy Grace, all your singing has scared Prince. He has decided to hide.
GRACE: Prince. Oh, don`t be scared. Oh, you all, I scared Prince. Prince, come on out and talk to Nancy Grace. I want to ask you a serious question.
Do you think this is the last time we`ll ever hear from Howard K. Stern?
BEYONCE (DRAMATIZATION): Prince is going to answer your question through his guitar, as petals fall from the sky.
(PRINCE PLAYING HIS GUITAR)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE: We were sitting around watching a special about 1999, and a lot of people were talking about the year.
(Tryin` to run from the destruction, you know I didn`t even care)
Speculating on what was going to happen.
(Say say two thousand zero zero party over, oops, out of time)
I just wanted to write something that gave hope.
(So tonight I`m gonna party like it`s nineteen ninety-nine)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight, we are trying to piece together the pieces of the puzzle to determine why music icon, Prince, is dead at just 57 years old, found in
his own elevator in his home at Paisley Park, Minnesota.
We understand a man and a woman were present when 911 was called. When EMTs arrived, he was unresponsive for almost a half an hour, maybe more. They
performed CPR on Prince to no avail. His body is being taken to Midwest Regional M.E.
To Brian Stelter, CNN senior media correspondent, host of "Reliable Sources", what have we learned since it was first announced that Prince is
dead?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: I think the answer is unsatisfying, Nancy. We`ve learned very little since then. I think the
recent 911 transcript shows us a little bit more, that he was clearly already unconscious when he was found in this elevator, and that it seems
there was little, if anything, that paramedics could do ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hey, Brian ...
(CROSSTALK)
STELTER: ... and that what is ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... hey Brian, as you`re talking, Brian Stelter, we`ve got the 911 call. Let`s listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) for a medical, Paisley Park, 7801 Audubon Road. 7801 Audubon Road for a male down, not breathing.
Rescue`s been started, rigs en route.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible) emergency for a medical at Paisley Park, 7801 Audubon Road. (Inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Therefore, CPR started 9:49.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRACE: That is the 911 call regarding Prince. And what I don`t understand, to Candace Trunzo, we are now getting conflicting reports about the cause
of his death. Here is Prince in 1999 Warner Brothers. What are you learning, Candace?
[20:50:00] CANDACE TRUNZO, DAILYMAIL.COM SENIOR NEWS EDITOR: So, we`re learning that there are reports that drugs were involved. And, you know,
this is not the first time that there has been these rumors of these reports.
He was with singer, Vanity, in the `80s, and she -- they had a drug-fueled affair, and she died this year ironically. She was a crack cocaine addict
and she died of kidney failure.
So this is not the first time that we`re hearing rumors. Now, we`ve also heard that he`s been ill. He had a very bad case of flu that had been going
on weeks. He had to postpone his concert in Atlanta and so there are conflicting rumors exactly how the flu ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hold on, Candace.
TRUNZO: Yeah.
GRACE: I`m just being joined by Ray Chew, musical director who worked with Prince.
Ray, thank you so much for being with us. It is a real honor to have you on with us. I know that you had a very close relationship with Prince. What is
your response to what we`re hearing tonight regarding cause of death?
RAY CHEW, MUSICAL DIRECTOR; WORKED WITH PRINCE: Well, as I hear the words "Prince" and "drugs" uttered in the same sentence and knowing where his
life was presently, I have to dispel the notion that that was at the heart of it.
My experience and my knowledge of Prince is that he is a man of principle. He had a real commitment to his faith, to Christ. He was an innovator and
he was somebody that held true to death.
He was not somebody that would compromise his principles for anything that was outside of his walk. And we in the music community celebrate and
applaud him for that. We applaud him for his many accomplishments and besides that for him as a man.
GRACE: You know, with me is Ray Chew who knew Prince very, very well, who is stating that he is rejecting these claims that either drugs or alcohol
were involved in the death of music icon, Prince.
You know, it`s so easy, Ray, to believe the worst, to get sucked into that kind of report but I`m not ready to accept that based on what we have
learned of Prince. We`ll be back with Ray Chew.
Everyone, an 86-year-old North Carolina farmer who, for 20 years, has introduced children with disabilities to the power -- the healing power of
horses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY SWIMMER, CNN HERO: Horses are very special animals. People just don`t realize it.
SWIMMER: What do you say now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Walk on.
SWIMMER: That`s my girl.
We had a child on a horse who had a seizure and that horse fell dead in his tracks. When nobody else noticed it, the horse caught it first.
GRACE: Harry Swimmer, this week`s "CNN heroes". Go to cnnheroes.com and nominate your choice for 2016.
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For almost 40 years he stayed as a vanguard of musical innovation.
His influence was global. Prince produced more than a dozen chart-topping songs.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRACE: Prince, dead, at age 57. Tonight, the circumstance is still under investigation. It`s conflicting reports flying. But what we do know is an
autopsy is scheduled at the Midwest Regional Medical Examiners to find out the truth once and for all.
Unleash the lawyers, Troy Slaten, L.A., Misty Marris, New York. Troy Slaten, if these reports of a drug or alcohol cause of death are unfounded,
can reporters who say that be sued for distressing the family?
TROY SLATEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, anyone can sue anyone for anything. But unless they can show that these reporters were acting in bad faith,
that they were intentionally trying to cause harm, intentionally trying to cause emotional distress, then no. You can`t ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: well, can I ask you, Misty Marris, if you don`t have a leg to stand on and you say that someone died of a drug overdose, obviously, that will
distress the family. I mean, of course they would know that.
MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, but it still comes down to the intent. Was this to intentionally distress the family? If this is just a bad tip,
then the family is not going to have a valid action to stand on.
GRACE: You know, Brian Stelter, joining us from "Reliable Sources", bottom line, this is going to go on until we have a cause of death. But what I
know is that Prince has impacted an entire generation and more.
STELTER: A pop genius, like almost no one we`ve ever seen before, Nancy. And that`s what makes these reports so sad, so tragic. We don`t want to see
another world famous celebrity succumb to the kind of things we`re hearing about tonight, but I have to say these reports of a drug overdose, they are
not confirmed by CNN but TMZ has a very good track record on these things.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I`ve heard they`ve got a good track record but still thought only hope ...
STELTER: Then we`ll see.
GRACE: ... that this time, that they`re wrong.
I want to thank our guests but especially to all of you for being with us tonight. Nancy Grace, signing off. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8 o`clock
sharp, Eastern. Good night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE: I only wanted to see you. Laughing in the purple rain. Purple rain, purple rain. Purple rain, purple rain. Purple rain, purple rain. I
only wanted to see you laughing. Underneath the purple rain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[21:00:00]
END
