Prince Struggled With Cocaine & Percocet Addiction For Years, Late Siblings’ Attorney Says

Prince battled addiction issues for years prior to his mysterious death
last week,  according to an attorney who represented two of the
“Purple Rain” singer’s late half-siblings. 

“He was addicted to cocaine and Percocet,” Minnesota attorney Michael
Padden claimed to Access Hollywood in an interview on Tuesday. “They told
me separately, not together, that he had addiction problems with those two
drugs.”

Padden claimed that Prince’s drug problems started with cocaine and then progressed
a few years later to taking the highly-addictive prescription pain medication
Percocet.

Padden admitted that his clients
had a strained relationship with their music icon brother. He was counsel for
Prince’s half-brother, Duane Nelson, from 1999 – 2002 after Duane was let go
from Paisley Park’s security team. Prince’s half-sister Lorna Nelson retained
Michael from 2002-2005 to deal with her late father John L. Nelson’s
estate. 

“By the time I came into the
picture, Prince was not a part of their lives,” Padden said. “I was a
sounding board more than anything, and we had an attorney-client
relationship.”  

WATCH: Prince Laid To Rest: Family & Friends Celebrate Late Music Icon’s Life 

Although Duane and Lorna weren’t
always close to Prince, Padden said they never stopped being concerned about
his well-being, and were “frustrated” that their brother did not want
to stop using. 

“[His sister Lorna] said he
would die before his time because of his drug addiction,” Padden said. 

So why reveal details about Prince’s alleged addiction problems now? Padden
claimed to Access that it’s out of an obligation to what he knows would be his
late clients’ wishes.

“They would want people to know the truth. It’s a learning moment for young people,” he said. “Like with Whitney Houston’s death, knowing about this would save lives.”

WATCH: Prince Dies At 57: His Final Hours 

While Duane and Lorna claimed their brother used drugs, many
of those close to the artist insist the “1999” singer – who was a
vegan and highly religious – never touched drugs in his life.

Prince’s ex-fiancee and former musical collaborator Sheila
E. told Access Hollywood correspondent Scott Evans that she never saw signs of
drug use in the late singer.

“Oh, no, no. Not at all,” she said.

— Access Hollywood Staff