Prince "fought for his life" after he took an overdose.

His friend and collaborator Judith Hill, who was on the ill-fated flight, recalled: "We knew it was only a matter of time; we had to get down. We didn’t have anything on the plane to help him. [When we arrived at the hospital], he was awake, which was such a relief to me, because I thought he was gone ... He wasn’t dreary or drowsy, or anything. He wanted to watch 'Zootopia'. He loved those films. I was going to pull it up on my phone. He said, 'No, no, no, not here. We’re going to pick a special time and place to watch that.' He was very cooperative that whole night, serious about getting help.

"He did it because he was concerned, and he wanted to do the right thing for his own body. And that’s the part that breaks my heart, because he was trying. He was trying ... He told me, 'I had to fight for my life. I remember hearing your voices from afar and saying to myself, ‘Follow the voices, follow the voices, get back in your body, you gotta to do this.’ And he said it was the hardest thing he’d ever done, to get back into his body like that."

And Judith insists she had no idea about how much pain the late singer, who passed away at the age of 57, was in.

She told the New York Times newspaper: "I only know what everyone knows about his pain - I read about it. He was quick on his feet. Never said anything, that this is hurting, never a sign of struggle. That’s why it’s all very shocking ...

"Now he’s gone, and I realise I was leaning on him a lot. And that’s what’s scary. I’m on my own. He was such a warrior, and it’s inspiring me to be that person."