How did Prince die? Will Smith claims late singer pitched a joint business idea with him and Jay-Z eight hours before his death

Men in Black actor Will Smith recently opened up about his interactions with deceased singer Prince in the final hours of his life. In an episode of the Broken Record Podcast, which was released on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, the actor described the incident as a "terrible jinx."

After podcast host Justin Richmond asked about a reported encounter between Smith and the late Brooklyn rapper, the Bad Boys star recalled it and said:

“The night he got killed… I don’t even want to say this out loud ’cause it’s like a terrible jinx... I talked to Prince eight hours before he died.”

Will Smith continued:

"I talked to Prince, and he called, and he was pitching, saying that me, him, and JAY-Z should start an entertainment company and he said he had talked to JAY-Z and he wanted to do it.."

He also shared that he and Prince and had an alleged discussion about starting an entertainment firm with JAY-Z, but the Purple Rain singer died a few hours after that.

The interview comes almost a decade after Prince died. On April 21, 2016, the singer was discovered dead at his residence at Paisley Park. According to BBC, the autopsy revealed that he died from an accidental overdose of the potent narcotic fentanyl.

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Prince allegedly planned a business idea with Will Smith and Jay-Z

During his appearance on Justin Richmond's podcast this week, Will Smith spoke about the time when he had met the singer hours before his death in 2016. He went on to describe the conversation with the deceased artist, claiming that the icon had a business idea that involved JAY-Z. He clarified that the singer pitched the idea and then continued:

“And we talked that night, and in the morning, he was gone. I don’t know what that says about me.. Don’t call me.”

The singer reportedly died of an overdose (Image via Getty)

According to the Daily Mail, after the singer's death was reported in 2016, Smith posted a picture of the musician on Facebook with the caption:

“I am stunned and heartbroken. I just spoke with him last night.”

In the latest podcast, the I Am Legend actor further said that he also had an interaction with rapper Biggie the night he died in 1997. He had a different perspective about him though, because the conversation was his first and only encounter with Biggie.

Smith said:

“The Biggie one made me cry… ‘Cause it was stupid and just centered on Hip-Hop–for rapping. That one hurt me. It scared me, too… I’m not going there.”

Smith also talked about rapper Too $hort and revealed that the latter's favorite song is You Saw My Blinker by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Smith then mimicked his accent and said:

"That's the one, you'll never make nothing better than that."

Elsewhere in the conversation, the father of three further discussed his creative journey, as he is ready to release Based on a True Story, his first album in almost two decades.

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For the unversed, as per Voa News’ May 4, 2016 report, Prince was discovered dead one day before he was supposed to see a California doctor to try to overcome his opioid addiction. According to ABC News' report on April 21, 2018, the late singer was seen entering a doctor's clinic with friend and bodyguard Kirk Johnson. He was wearing black clothes and appeared thin, just hours before his death in 2016.