Authorities have 'no reason to believe' Prince's death was suicide

Authorities have “no reason to believe” Prince’s death was suicide with “no obvious signs of trauma” on his body, it was revealed tonight.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson provided the update on the day an autopsy was being carried out on the 57-year-old to solve the mystery of his sudden death yesterday.

The star was found unresponsive in an elevator at his home in Minnesota on Thursday morning after police were called to his Paisley Park estate.

Although the autopsy was completed on Friday, it could take days or weeks before the results are released.

Mr Olson and a medical examiner refused to discuss whether any prescription drugs were found in Prince's home after his death.

Celebrity website TMZ reported the musician suffered a drug overdose less than a week before he died.

Questions have now been raised about whether the iconic singer hid health problems from fans after a series of cancelled shows and a reported emergency plane landing for medical treatment.

Prince had spoken about struggling with childhood epilepsy, and friends said he had hip trouble.

His former percussionist, Sheila E., said Prince suffered the effects from years of jumping off risers and speakers on stage while wearing high heels.

She said: "There was always something kind of bothering him, as it does all of us.

"I hurt every single day. You know we're like athletes, we train, and we get hurt all the time. We have so many injuries."

Despite problems with his hip and knee, Prince "kept doing it because he loved doing it and it was something no one was doing," she said.

Prince's cousin Chazz Smith said: "I can tell you this: What I know is that he was perfectly healthy.”

He said his cousin swore off drugs and alcohol as a kid, adding: "we decided to never get into that stuff, and no one did."

His death has triggered an outpouring of grief from millions of fans across the world.

A host of celebrities queued up to pay their respects to the Purple Rain singer while US President Barack Obama described him as a “creative icon”.

During his prolific career, Prince won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations.

Five of his singles topped the charts and 14 other songs hit the Top 10.

He won an Oscar for best original song score for ‘Purple Rain,’ the film he both wrote and starred in.

Additional reporting by agencies