The National Enquirer was one of the first media sources to claim Prince committed suicide after he found out he had HIV...and like that wasn't enough, they've now done a photo re-enactment of Prince dying in the elevator in his home.
The National Enquirer on its latest sensational cover, has claimed that it have images of late legendary American musician, Prince’s purported overdose, as the clips appear to have been taken by the security camera in Prince’s elevator at his Paisley Park estate outside Minneapolis.
The blaring headline reads on the cover reads, "Prince death overdose caught on video." 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"
"Now: Dealers investigated as feud erupts over $1 billion fortune."
Even though the publication makes it seem like they are authentic, they are 're-creations.'
A popular website that that dismantles celebrity rumors, Gossip Cop, 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 on Wednesday.
It can be recalled that 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.
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.