Prince was suffering from AIDS before being found dead last week and had refused treatment because he believed he could be cured by prayer, it has been claimed.

The Purple Rain singer, who was a Jehovah's Witness, was diagnosed with the crippling condition just six months before he passed away, sources told the .

The 57-year-old weighed just 80lbs by the time of his death and had been 'preparing to die for a little while', the supermarket tabloid says sources told it.

A source, who was not identified by the Enquirer, said: 'Doctors told Prince his blood count was unusually low and that his body temperature had dropped dangerously below the normal 98.6 degrees to 94 degrees.

'He was totally iron-deficient, very weak and often disoriented. He rarely ate and when he did, it all came right back up.

'His face was yellowish, the skin on his neck was hanging off and the tips of fingers were a brownish-yellow.'

According to the magazine Prince was diagnosed with HIV back in the 1990s, but that developed into AIDS toward the end of last year.

The Enquirer goes on to claim that the singer became addicted to opiate medication Percoet that he was using to dull the pain he was suffering in his last months of life.

A statement by those close to Prince following his death said he died of influenza, an infection that would likely have proved fatal if his immune system had been decimated by AIDS.

Days before he was found dead in a lift at his Paisley Park mansion in Chanhassen, Minneapolis, he had been seen making runs to a local pharmacy to pick up bags of prescriptions.

An employee at the Walgreens that served him said: 'We were all just shocked that he came in last night looking so beat. We said: "We are praying for you."'

'He said, almost under his breath: "Maybe if you prayed for me a year ago it’d be different right now." Then he waved and said thanks anyway.'

Rumors have surrounded the cause of Prince's death, who was known as much for his sexually androgynous stage persona and wild sex life as his music.

It has been rumored that Prince died from an overdose of Percocet, and had nearly passed away on board his private plane while touring six days before he was found unresponsive at home.

The jet was required to make an unscheduled landing despite being just 45 minutes from the artist's home, though his representatives again said he was suffering from flu.

However sources told that Prince actually had to be rushed to hospital for a 'save shot', typically used on patients who have taken an overdose of opiate medication.

While the autopsy report into Prince's death may not been released for several weeks, officers have already said there was no indication of suicide.

Lawyer L. Londell McMillan, who knew Prince for 25 years and at one time was his manager, has denied the singer had an addiction.

McMillan said Prince's death had come as a shock to all who knew him because he lived a 'clean and healthy lifestyle.'

Meanwhile the singer's estate is still in limbo after it was revealed he refused to sign a will.

The exact value of the estate is unknown, and it has been suggested that Prince was running out of money because he refused to sell the licences to his music, forcing him to begin touring again.

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