This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Arsenio Hall Sues Sinead O'Connor Over Claim He Supplied Prince With Drugs

Arsenio Hall—remember him?—has filed a libel lawsuit against Sinead O'Connor over a Facebook posting where O'Connor said that Hall had supplied the late singer Prince with drugs. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the legendary singer, who passed away on April 21 at age 57.
O'Connor publicly accused Hall of supplying Prince with drugs over a period of several decades in a Facebook post Monday. In the post, which has since received more than 3,000 shares, O'Connor also accuses Hall of spiking her drink at Eddie Murphy's house "years ago."
Hall is seeking $5 million in damages from O'Connor, and, according to City News Service, his suit alleges that O'Connor "knew that there was no truth whatsoever to the vicious lies she spewed about Hall on her Facebook page and that she had concocted them and had no basis to believe that they were true. The truth is that Hall never supplied illegal drugs to Prince.''
"The statement regarding Arsenio Hall is absolutely false, ridiculous and absurd," his rep Traci Harper told People Magazine that same Monday.
O'Connor famously covered Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U," a song that Prince originally wrote in the 1980s for The Family, a group signed to his Paisley Park label.
According to court papers, Hall says that he has only ever had limited contact with O'Connor and that the last time they interacted was 25 years ago.
The Irish singer-songwriter previously made headlines late last year, when she received medical attention after posting what appeared to be a troubling suicide note on her official Facebook page.
Related:
Public Prince Memorial To Be Held Next Friday At City Hall
Arsenio Hall Is Crowdsourcing $1 Billion To Buy The Clippers
-
Donald Trump was a fading TV presence when the WGA strike put a dent in network schedules.
-
Pickets are being held outside at movie and TV studios across the city
-
For some critics, this feels less like a momentous departure and more like a footnote.
-
Disneyland's famous "Fantasmic!" show came to a sudden end when its 45-foot animatronic dragon — Maleficent — burst into flames.
-
Leads Ali Wong and Steven Yeun issue a joint statement along with show creator Lee Sung Jin.
-
Every two years, Desert X presents site-specific outdoor installations throughout the Coachella Valley. Two Los Angeles artists have new work on display.