This is the moment Prince's ashes were carried to a car and taken to their final resting place after the legendary musician was secretly cremated on Friday in a 'no fuss' funeral as per his wishes.
The star was found dead at his Minnesota home on Thursday, and his family quickly moved to carry out the simple funeral he demanded in the event of his death.
As Prince’s family gathered at his home this week, his brother-in-law revealed that the music icon had been awake for ‘154 hours straight’, or six-and-a-half days.
While fans flocked to his Paisley Park home and studio in Chanhassen, the star's body had been released to his family at around 1pm on Friday after a four-hour autopsy was completed at the Minnesota medical examiner's office.
The body arrived at the First Memorial Waterston Chapel by 2pm where just his sister Tyka, her son Prez and another family member were in attendance to say a final goodbye.
This is the moment Prince's ashes were carried to a car and taken to their final resting place after the legendary musician was secretly cremated on Friday in a 'no fuss' funeral as per his wishes
The modest service, which began an hour later, cost just $1,645 according to the price list, the Telegraph reported. Prince's family remained inside for four hours until the service ended and they were presented with the star's ashes
And these pictures, obtained by the Sunday Mirror, show the moment a casket containing the Prince's ashes were carried out to a car under the cover of a black jacket and taken to his final resting place.
Maurice Phillips, who is married to Tyka Nelson, Prince’s sister, said that Prince had not slept in six-and-a-half days before he was found dead at his home, as previously reported by Dailymail.com.
‘He worked 154 hours straight,’ Phillips, 52, told fans who milled around outside Paisley Park, Prince’s compound and recording studio in Chanhassen, southwest of Minneapolis, Saturday. ‘I was with him just last weekend,’ he added. ’He was a good brother-in-law.’
Prince’s insomnia clashes with reports that he was taking high levels of Percocet, but in some cases, users of the drug have said it keeps them awake.
Because Prince is a Jehovah's Witness he had to have funeral services carried out within a week of his death.
And because of his faith, the singer made it clear to his family that he wanted to 'quiet service' and to 'die with dignity,' a family friend told the Mirror.
'He had very precise ideas about how he wanted his death to be handled and that didn't involve a huge funeral but a quiet service.
'He wanted it to be kept to the minimum of fuss. Prince was such figure you don't need a funeral to remember him by. He wanted to simply disappear with no fuss, no drama, no fanfare. It was just his style.'
The friend compared Prince's quiet ceremony to the pomp of Michael Jackson's funeral that was streamed live worldwide.
'It could not have been more different to Michael Jackson's service that was full of Hollywood razzmatazz,' the friend added. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that when a person dies, their existence completely stops.
This is because the Bible makes it clear that human beings do not have an immortal soul that survives when the body dies. But death is not the end - they believe each person can be remembered by God and eventually resurrected.
The Jehovah's Witnesses funeral service is similar to other Christian faiths and usually takes place within a week after death.
But a day after Prince's body was cremated, his closest friends and family members gathered for a private memorial service at Paisely Park.
'Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved: family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye,' Prince publicist Anna Meacham said in a statement.
Meacham said Prince's remains have been cremated and their final resting place will remain private. On Saturday, Graham stood at a gate of Paisley Park Studios and thanked some of the hundreds of fans gathered on the lawn outside to show their admiration of Prince, a seven-time Grammy winner whose music blended rock, jazz, funk, R&B, and disco.
'Prince made us all better musicians and spiritually is the most important thing, but as musician he pushed us and he made us better and we listened deeply,' Graham told the fans.
A sea of purple marked the occasion, with many guests opting to wear the star's favorite color as they celebrated his life.
Close friends such as Damaris Lewis, his former lover Sheila E, band member Hannah Welton and her husband Josh Welton and others were spotted entering the property around 2 pm.
They were greeted by security as they made their way into the studio for the service. The Purple Rain hitmaker's ex-wife Mayte Garcia attended the memorial but was not pictured but it is not known if his other ex-wfie, Manuela Testolini was in attendance.
Earlier Testolini who was married to Prince from 2001 to 2006 had said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' but said she and the singer 'had a magical journey together and I loved him immensely'
And at one point in the afternoon, extended family members including his only full sibling Tyka Nelson exited the studio to greet fans of the late rock star and to hand out memorabilia in purple gift boxes.
The boxes contained a t-shirt and were handed out to the crowds of people gathered outside his home and recording studio.
Arrangements of purple flowers and catered food were also delivered to the late legend's home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, earlier in the day before relatives and friends joined together for the intimate event.
The purple-haired Tyka Nelson, 55, (pictered at Saturday's service) also a singer, grew close to her brother again in recent years after initially struggling as she raised her sons
Meanwhile, Tyka and husband Maurice Phillips are planning a massive memorial tribute for fans, who have lined the singer's estate Paisley Park in Minnesota with purple since his death. Tyka will most likely inherit her brothers estimated £200 million fortune if he did not write out a will. Hundreds of people have gathered outside Paisley Park, tying purple balloons to the gate outside and leaving notes to the artist who transcended generations. State troopers were gathered at the complex and helped escort family and friends inside as they began to pay their respects to the late singer, according to ET.
Memorabilia boxes given out to fans by Prince's family at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, MN. The late music icon's relatives handed out round purple boxes containing a t-shirt and a booklet to crowds of people gathered outside his home and recording studio
The lawn and gate at Paisley Park was strewn in purple balloons and flowers left by devastated fans, who honored the legend with Prince's signature color.
He spent his final night alone in his vast compound and was discovered unconscious in an elevator more than 13 hours after he was last seen alive.
Police said the 57-year-old pop superstar was last seen entering his $10million Minnesota estate at 8pm on Wednesday and was not found until the next morning.
Prince was taken to a Twin Cities hospital on Wednesday and was seen by a doctor, a law enforcement source told KSTP. He was then seen looking 'frail and nervous' in a Walgreens pharmacy just an hour before he returned to his home in Paisley Park at about 8pm, sources said.
Sources added that Prince may have overdosed on the highly addictive painkiller Percocet just days before. When Prince missed an early morning holistic medicine appointment on Thursday and couldn't be reached, staff went to check on him. He was then found unresponsive at his home.
Since his shocking death on Thursday hundreds of fans have visited 'The Purple One's compound to pay their own respects to the late singer Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said here were 'no obvious signs of trauma' on Prince's body when he was found at 9.43am on Thursday, and that investigators had ruled out suicide.
Olson, whose deputies responded to an emergency medical call at Prince's compound, said his officers carry a medication that can be given to someone suffering a drug overdose, but did not use it during the call.
An autopsy was done Friday but a cause of death hasn't been released, and authorities declined to comment on reports that Prince had been treated for a painkiller overdose less than a week earlier.
State troopers were gathered at the complex and helped escort family and friends inside as they began to pay their respects to the late singer Following the autopsy, his body was returned to his family for cremation.
Olson said that Prince, who was fully clothed when he was found unresponsive, died less than half an hour after he was discovered by staff despite paramedics' efforts to resuscitate him.
Prince's loved ones now face a weeks-long wait for toxicology results to come back, which should reveal whether he did overdose days before his death on Thursday, as sources have claimed
Sources told TMZ that he overdosed on Percocet that he was taking for a chronic hip problem he had been suffering for years.The sheriff also revealed that cops obtained a search warrant to root through the home for any clues as to how Prince died but did not reveal if they found anything of note.
Neither the police or a spokeswoman for the medical examiner would be drawn on suggestions that drugs may have played a role in the music legend's death.
Meanwhile, in a touching tribute, Will Smith said he chatted with Prince on Wednesday night - meaning he may have been the last person to speak to him.
'I am stunned and heartbroken. I just spoke with him last night,' Smith wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.
He added: 'Today, Jada & I mourn with all of you the loss of a beautiful poet, a true inspiration, and one of the most magnificent artists to ever grace this earth.'
Prince's hip issues were no secret and he had used a cane to help him walk for years after causing irreparable damage to his hips with his lively stage performances.
He had long needed a double hip replacement, but was rumored to have turned down surgery because it would require a blood transfusion - which conflicted with his religious beliefs.
Lonely: Police said Prince was last seen entering his $10million Minnesota estate at 8pm and was not found until the next morning
Meanwhile, a source told People that Prince had been battling an 'ongoing illness'. 'The people close to him were very concerned for his health and indicated he'd been undergoing treatments which made his immune system weak,' the source said.
Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier told CBS that Prince did have surgery on his hips but was still struggling with pain, as well as having issues with his ankles.
'The hip and ankle issues were a problem for him for so long, and for a man who loved to move and dance so much, it really bothered him,' Frazier said.
Prince's autopsy went ahead as planned today and his body has been handed over to his family.
'The Chief Medical Examiner for Midwest Medical Examiners Office, on behalf of Carver County Sheriff's Office, has performed the autopsy on Prince Rogers Nelson,' a spokesman for the examiner said.
'The autopsy began at 9am CDT and was completed by Dr A Quinn Strobl at 1pm local time. The body will be released to family later today.
'As part of a complete exam, relevant information regarding Mr Nelson's medical and family history will be taken into consideration.
'Midwest Medical Examiners Office will not release information until the exam is complete and all results are obtained. Gathering results will take several days and the results of a full toxicology scan could likely take weeks.'
Prince, 57, died at 10.07am on Thursday, less than 30 minutes after he was found unresponsive in an elevator at his compound on the outskirts of Minnesota.
Sources close to the Purple Rain star told TMZ today that he overdosed on Percocet last week as he flew home from a concert in Atlanta.
Prince had been taking the highly addictive opiate painkiller for a chronic hip problem he had suffered for years, it was claimed.
The singer was rumored to have turned down surgery on his hips because his strict Jehovah's Witness faith meant he could not have a blood transfusion.
Prince had used a cane to help him walk for years after causing irreparable damage to his hips with his lively stage performances.
The Purple Rain star took so many Percocet pills that he had to be given a 'save shot' after his private plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, so he could be rushed to hospital last Friday, sources close to the star claimed.
His plane descended 45,000ft in just 17 minutes after an 'unresponsive male' was reported on board the plane, a source told NBC News, and the fire department and paramedics were alerted of the incoming medical incident.
Prince made a surprise appearance at a dance party in Minnesota on Saturday, in what is believed to have been his final public appearance
On Thursday night, pictures emerged of Prince walking out of a Walgreens pharmacy just 15 hours before he was pronounced dead. It is not known whether he was picking up Percocet or any other prescription.
It is unknown why he went to the store himself or if he picked up a prescription, though per Walgreens protocol, anyone with Prince's phone number and address could have retrieved medication for him.
Prince had always claimed that he was drug-free, making the news of his alleged overdose all the more shocking.
He had previously revealed that he was epileptic and had suffered seizures as a child. He was bullied at school over his condition which he said he dealt with by developing his iconic larger-than-life personality.
The singer, a devout Jehovah's Witness, later told his mother he had been cured by an angel.
While Prince never made clear if he was still struggling to live with epilepsy, his song The Sacrifice of Victor tells the story of a boy who was 'epileptic 'til the age of seven'. Meanwhile, Aretha Franklin made the bizarre suggestion that Prince may have contracted the Zika virus.
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