There were no signs of trauma on Prince’s body when he was found unresponsive at his home in suburban Minneapolis, and he isn’t thought to have committed suicide, the local sheriff says.

Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson told a news conference that the investigation was ongoing, but “we have no reason to believe this was a suicide.”

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He said the 57-year-old musician was last seen around 8pm Wednesday, about 12 hours before he was found dead.

Despite his debauched stage presence and erotically charged music, Prince had a reputation for clean living and an ability to put on shows that were electrifying in their athleticism.

But after his death – following a series of cancelled shows, an emergency plane landing after a reported overdose and a subdued hometown appearance – questions are being raised about whether he was hiding health problems from his fans.

An autopsy was completed Friday to determine what caused the death of the Purple Rain superstar, though officials said it could take days or weeks before results are released.

Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park compound in suburban Minneapolis and could not be revived, sheriff’s officials said.

His private life revealed

Throughout his prolific career, Prince gave fans his everything on stage but remained intensely private off it.

Although he loved the spotlight, much of his personal life remained a mystery.

Performing in the Netherlands in 1987, showing off his endlessly playful energy. Photo: Getty

The only son of two musicians, Prince spent much of his childhood living between homes following his parents’ separation, before moving in with neighbours.

Prince dealt with this turmoil, as well as high school bullies and health struggles by being, in his own words, “as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could”.

It was this flamboyance and penchant for performing that saw him steadily acquire a loyal audience from the age of 17.

Although admitting to being “pretty wild in my younger days”, the pop star reformed later in life, finding peace and solace in his religion and his tight-knit community.

However, his life wasn’t without troubles, including some early health problems and the tragic loss of his newborn son.

His health struggles

Prince once told talk show host Tavis Smiley he was born with epilepsy.

He miraculously overcame the condition, citing divine intervention as his saviour.

“My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, ‘Mom, I’m not going to be sick anymore,’ and she said ‘Why?’ and I said ‘Because an angel told me so’,” he explained.

In his final days, reps for the singer said he was suffering from the flu, with symptoms so severe they grounded his private jet last Saturday.

Prince and Beyonce perform a medley at the Grammys. Photo: Getty

TMZ reports he made regular visits to his local pharmacy in recent weeks, with some onlookers expressing concern over his apparent frailty.

But if Prince was struggling, it was in silence. At one of his last public appearances – a party in his Paisley Park estate last week – he assured attendees he was fine, telling them to “wait a few days before you waste any prayers”.

“He was reclusive,” an industry source told People magazine.

“If he was ill or suffering, that’s not something you would reasonably expect to know. It’s not surprising to me that [his death] was surprising.”

The women he loved

If music was his first love, women were a close second. Not only was Prince a lover of women in the romantic sense, he was also responsible for championing them.

He surrounded himself with women at his shows, including using female guitarists and vocalists, and wrote several hit songs for artists like Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks, Alicia Keys and Sinead O’Connor.

The latter once claimed she and Prince came to blows over the hit single he penned for her, ‘Nothing Compares To You’.

Prince and Denise ‘Vanity’ Matthews on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1983.

“He summoned me to his house – and it’s foolish to do this to an Irish woman – he said he didn’t like me saying bad words in interviews. So I told him to f*** off,” O’Connor told Norway’s NRK.

Prince paid tribute to her at a Melbourne concert, telling the crowd: “Her and I used to love each other deeply.”

The son he lost

Upon hearing of her ex-husband’s death, Garcia’s reaction was to find solace in the fact he would now be closer to the baby they lost in 1996.

“I loved him then, I love him now and will love him eternally,” she said in a statement. “He’s with our son now.”

The couple’s son, named Boy Gregory, passed away a week after he was born due to Pfeiffer syndrome, a genetic disorder affecting the skull and the bones in the hands and feet.

Prince With Mayte Garcia in 1995. Photo: Getty

Prince never publicly acknowledged his son’s death, giving Oprah an on-camera tour of his home soon after during which he and Garcia acted as if nothing had happened.

After seeing a kids’ playroom, Oprah pressed for details on Garcia’s pregnancy, to which Prince simply responded: “It’s all good. Never mind what you hear.”

He and Garcia divorced in 2000 and she told The Mirror last year, “for us as a couple I think it [Boy Gregory’s death] probably broke us.”

The religion that grounded him

Although raised a Seventh-day Adventist, Prince became a Jehovah’s Witness after friend Larry Graham “helped me to look at the bible in a very practical way and cut through all the dogma”.

Prince’s adoption of the religion was swift and complete. He claimed to have given up alcohol and drugs and even abstained from politics.

“I don’t vote, I want nothing to do with it, I’ve got no dog in that race,” he explained to Tavis Smiley. “The reason why is because I’m one of Jehovah’s witnesses and we’ve never voted. Prophecy is what we all have to go by now.”

When accepting an NAACP award in 2005 he took to the stage and calmly declared: “Awards are wonderful but all praise and glory is due to the true God, Jehovah.”

Mourners embrace outside Paisley Park. Photo: Getty

He was also known to go door-knocking to promote the religion, a surprise for anyone who answered the door and found the 158 cms icon standing there.

The community who embraced him

Nowhere was Prince more loved than in his hometown of Minnesota.

Having spent most of his life living in the US state, he was a familiar face in the community, often hosting parties at Paisley Park.

He was also a regular on local radio station The Current, signing off blocks of programming dedicated to his music and sending in suggestions to its hosts.

After news of his death broke, thousands gathered outside the Minneapolis nightclub where his ‘Purple Rain’ music video was filmed.

Meanwhile, those around the world took to social media to cope with the loss.

The most popular tribute appeared to be a lyric from Prince himself, from his song ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ – oddly comforting at a time when many are suffering a profound loss.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called life.”

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