Iconic Musical Genius Prince Passes On At 57
The 57-year-old singer was found unresponsive Thursday morning in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said.
Paramedics tried to perform CPR but were unable to revive him, the sheriff said. He was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m., less than 30 minutes after sheriff’s deputies responded to a medical call at the scene.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, Olson said. An autopsy will be performed by the Midwest regional medical examiner.
Prince’s publicist confirmed his death but didn’t provide details about the possible cause or who was with the musician.
“It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning,” publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said.
Prince was hospitalized last week after his plane for was forced to make an emergency landing in Moline, Ill. Released a few hours later, a rep told TMZ that he had been battling a bad case of the flu.
One of the most iconic musicians in music history, Prince’s extensive career grew out of the music scene of his native Minneapolis, where he lived his entire life. His 1978 debut album For You and self-titled second LP, released in October 1979, kicked off an incredibly prolific run of albums that included 1999, Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Sign O The Times and Batman, among others, throughout the 1980s at a clip of nearly one per year, evolving with each release.
It was 1984’s Purple Rain – his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 – released in conjunction with the film of the same name, that cemented him as one of the greatest artists of his generation, earning him two Grammys, and Oscar and a victory over Michael Jackson’s Thriller for Favorite Pop/Rock Album at the 1985 American Music Awards. In total, he would receive seven Grammy Awards from 32 nominations between 1984 and 2010. Along the way, he worked with several bands under a series of pseudonyms, including The Time, the New Power Generation and The Revolution, as both frontman and producer.
Prince was also known for his eponymous Love Symbol, created in protest against his longtime record label Warner Bros., under which he released an album in 1992. His 18th and final album for the label, 1996’s Chaos and Disorder, finally released him from his contract.
As a recording artist, Prince was legendary for his prolific and perfectionist nature which allowed him to release a steady slew of material as he experimented in the studio; as a result, unreleased b-sides and bootlegs have become highly sought-after collectibles for die-hard fans, and his infamous “vault” of recordings has become the stuff of legend. Yet he was also truly transcendent as a performer, regularly stretching his shows beyond the three-hour mark and showcasing his stunning guitar work, which became an underrated part of his legacy, often overshadowed by his iconic singing voice and abilities as a songwriter and bandleader.
Over his 35-plus-year career, he released 39 solo studio albums and never stopped releasing new material; since September 2014, he put out four new full-length records with his latest band, 3rd Eye Girl, continuously experimenting with psychedelic rock and intergalactic funk.
Prince’s legacy as a musician, a singer, a style icon and an endlessly creative mind is nearly unparalleled, and his influence stretches from pop to R&B to funk to hip-hop and everywhere in between. Purple Rain was the first of four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200; an additional 12 LPs peaked in the top 10 in four different decades. The first single from his self-titled LP, “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” topped the Billboard R&B chart and he would go on to land 19 top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including No. 1s “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Kiss,” “Batdance” and “Cream.”
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15 Comments
Delle
April 22, 08:41An icon has passed away. So sad. May his divalicious soul rest in peace.
Heard he wasn’t even gay…
Mitch
April 22, 09:38Yesterday was a sad day. First WWE’s Chyna, then Prince. 2 legends lost in one day. It’s sickening
Mandy
April 22, 10:50I wasn’t really familiar with Prince’s icon. Or his music. But it’s sad that the world’s lost him. RIP.
ambivalentone
April 22, 11:02Other songsters I watched on tv, as a kid elicited emotions varying btwn amusement, disgust, strong desire to dance or pure hate. This Prince guy, his own was TERROR. I still don’t know why even now I think on it. His memory makes me shudder.
Delle
April 22, 12:05Terror ke? Lol. He was flamboyant and I adored it!
Keredim
April 22, 13:03@ambivalentone, Could it be you found his flamboyance uncomfortable ?
That if you liked him, it might have betrayed the sexuality you were still coming to terms with as a kid?
You know, heteronormality and all that??
ambivalentone
April 22, 15:09I’d av loved to think so but I wud be fascinated (even irritated), not afraid, if it were about not wanting to come to terms with my budding sexuality. This was inexplicable terror
KingBey
April 22, 11:21Don’t know him. *wets finger with saliva and flips over to next page*
Peak
April 22, 14:09The comments above can only be summed up in one word…SACRILEGE!
Like how DARE you guys?!
Prince was, is and would forever be a L.E.G.E.N.D.A.R.Y musician, he was/is not just that, he “was and is a “MOVEMENT”
He redefined the game. he was an artist in its entire sense. He piratically wrote all of his songs. played 27 instruments. A vocal chameleon (for a man), and stayed true to his craft.
For those of us who don’t know, the L.E.G.E.N.D.A.R.Y Prince Roger Nelson has been ACTIVELY in the business of music making for 5 decades and has 49 albums or there about under his belt. A Golden globe, an Oscar, Grammys
I never knew him that well, but I knew he was a force to recon with in the music industry by his compeers and inspired many acts after him. My interest in Prince was never about his music. Besides the illustrious ” Purple rain”, i really couldn’t remember what his catalogue sounds like. in my defense, the man is quite sting with his music. the only way you get Ur paws on his work is if you buy it. no radio play, no illegal downloads or he would sue your for every strand of hair on your head. but what i did know and love Prince for, is how he oozed of sex and class, how he is very elusive and has always had this shroud of mystery. how eclectic his taste was. his eccentricity, hoe edgy and mysteriously dark he was. Then you do a total 360 when you see his interviews and hear people who have had personal relationships with him attest about how warm and nice her is. He was/is a first generation “Divo”. He was so amazing that people swoon at the mention of his name. And most importantly, He was a FINEEEEEEEEEE ass man, the body, the hair, the clothes and accessories, the make up, his eyes, the swag, the attitude, the flawless shades he throws and his forever shady facial expressions… he was just flamboyantly flouncy.. He was just amazing. he was rocking all kinds of sexy-eccentric trends that most gay men today wouldn’t dare touch. he may have dated all kinds of women and married a few, but those “sexually fluid” rumors was another thing that notched my interest scale a couple of notches, . A friend said he was
*Sigh* we keep losing the good ones. #RipPrince
Peak
April 22, 14:23i thought i was unfamiliar with his body of work, but if you are an 80’s kid, you would definitely remember one of his hit songs “the most beautiful girl in the world”. i think it use to be silverbird’s MBGN theme song. i saw the video for kiss today and instantly remembered seeing it as a kid. When doves cry, si another jam i also remember cos of the beat. But Purple rain slays shaaaa! been listening to it all morning. Prince is just the shit!
Keredim
April 22, 16:28You have forgotten “Sign o’ the times”
“I feel for you” “Raspberry Beret” ” Gett Off”…
???
Peak
April 22, 21:33@Keredim, Bros, honestly I am not to familiar with this man’s body of work. Just saw a video of Gett off and sign of the times. Clearly he is all about sex in those videos.
Going by how his music is suddenly moving in large numbers, it’s quite evident that a lot of people have been sleeping on his music. He has sold over 1m tracks within a day, dominated itunes US top100 with a staggering 61 tracks and is on course to top the BB100 & BB200 chart next week with a song and album that was release roughly 30 years ago. I guess u have to die to shift products these day.
Peak
April 22, 21:34**days**
Wayfaring Stranger
April 22, 15:44Last time I saw the guy was when he made a cameo in an episode of New Girl. He was something.
Heard a tribute cover of Purple Rain last night and I had to download the original. Not bad.
Justme
April 23, 10:54Has anyone else seen the performance he did several years ago in assless pants?