Longtime chef: Prince fought throat, stomach pains recently

MINNEAPOLIS -- On stage, Prince still was captivating audiences at recent performances in Australia and California.

He hosted a pop-up party at his Paisley Park studio, and in his final months, there were few outward signs anything was wrong.

But off stage, something was different. Prince began wanting meals that were easier to digest and was fighting off waves of sore throats and frequent upset stomachs, the musician's personal chef said.

A law-enforcement official has said investigators are looking into whether Prince, who was found dead at his home April 21, died from an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before.

The official has been briefed on the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Ray Roberts, who cooked for Prince nearly every day for almost three years, said that wasn't the man he saw nearly every night, "not even a hint. Not at all." But Roberts started noticing changes in Prince's diet -- he was eating less and drinking less water, and looked as if he was losing weight.

"It felt like he wasn't himself probably the last month or two," Roberts said. "I think he was just struggling with being sick a lot."

Prince, who didn't eat meat, normally loved foods such as roasted beets and minestrone soup with a harissa chermoula, an herb sauce from North Africa.

In recent months, Roberts said, as Prince would have sore throats or seem as if he wasn't feeling well for "weeks at a time," he would prefer smoothies and fresh juices to soothe his throat or stomach.

Stomach and throat ailments aren't unusual in a stubbornly cold Minnesota winter, and to the public, there was little to suggest something was amiss.

Since Prince's death, fans who saw him recently have talked about his energy and his mesmerizing performances with just a microphone and a piano.

Many who saw his final public appearance at Paisley Park only days before he died said he may have seemed more tired -- one person who was at one of his last shows in Atlanta said his speaking voice was weak at times -- but overall, he was not changed.

Roberts said Prince had a "higher purpose," and while he could be a joker or even cocky, most of the time he was a "caring, thoughtful person" who apologized if he was running late and considered his employees family.

"I wish he was still here," he said, wiping away a tear. "That's what it boils down to."

Roberts last saw Prince the evening before the musician was found dead at Paisley Park.

He cooked Prince a roasted red pepper bisque with a kale and spring vegetable salad. But Prince never ate it. When he returned to the musician's studio home for his memorial service a few days later, Roberts found it in the refrigerator -- just as he'd left it.