Prince
A cause of death for Prince has not yet been determined. Above, the legendary musical artist is pictured performing in 2009. Getty Images

On its latest sensational cover, the National Enquirer claims to have images of Prince’s purported overdose. The stills appear to have been taken by the security camera in Prince’s elevator at his Paisley Park estate outside Minneapolis.

The blaring headline reads, “Prince death overdose caught on video,” which isn’t even grammatically correct. On the left side of the cover, there are three black-and-white images. The captions beneath them read: “Security cameras capture final moments,” “It wasn’t murder!” and “Chilling evidence inside.”

And if they’re not inflammatory enough, the bottom of the cover has the following lines: “AIDS nightmare drove him to suicide,” “Cover-up: Pills mysteriously disappeared before cops arrived” and “Now: Dealers investigated as feud erupts over $1 billion fortune.”

By way of a reality check, Prince’s estate has been estimated to be worth about $300 million. But the amount of his fortune is actually one of the least offensive bullet points on the new cover.

Don’t be fooled by the cover images. Even though the tabloid makes it seem like they are authentic, they are “re-creations.” Gossip Cop, a website that dismantles celebrity rumors, confirmed the pictures are fake. “The National Enquirer is trying to trick readers into buying this week’s issue by making it appear as if it obtained authentic pictures. The manipulation is only made clear with tiny print saying ‘photo re-creation’ along the magazine’s spine,” Gossip Cop reported Wednesday.

Prince died at his home April 21 at the age of 57. After he was found with the prescription painkiller Percocet on him, it was rumored he overdosed on the controlled substance. However, a toxicology report will neither confirm nor deny this speculation for several weeks. The singer supposedly went to four local pharmacies to fill prescriptions the week of his death. And he may have visited different doctors under various aliases.

A public memorial service will be held for Prince outside Los Angeles City Hall Friday. His family and friends mourned him in Minnesota last week.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

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