In an in-depth interview with the New York Times, musician Judith Hill opens up about working with Prince and his final days. Hill, who was a contestant on The Voice and won a Grammy for her work in the music doc 20 Feet From Stardom, spent the two years prior to the icon’s death frequently at Paisley Park, living and recording in the Minnesota compound for weeks at a time, and joined Prince onstage at concerts in multiple cities. Her stories of her life at Paisley Park include the sorts of charming details you’d expect from a good Prince tale — he made good omelettes and bad smoothies, and dressed up “even if they were just going to the drive-through at Dairy Queen.”
Hill also revealed details of what transpired during Prince’s infamous emergency plane landing only days before his death. Hill was on that flight, during which Prince suffered an accidental overdose from painkillers, and it was Hill who noticed his unconscious state and alerted others to his need for medical attention. She claims she had no prior knowledge of his drug usage, but after the incident she stayed with Prince in the hospital and he was “serious about getting help.” She added, “He wanted to do the right thing for his own body … that’s the part that breaks my heart, because he was trying.”
