Prince, the legendary and prolific musician, who sold more than 100 million records during his career, has died. He was 57.
Prince’s body was found at his Paisley Park home recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on Thursday morning, TMZ was first to report.
“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 at the age of 57,” his publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said in a statement. There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time.
The prolific songwriter had a medical emergency on April 15 that forced his private jet to make an unscheduled landing in Moline, Ill. He was released three hours later, however, and appeared at a concert the following day. His publicist said at the time that he was battling the flu.
Prince recently cancelled two shows on his “Piano and a Microphone” tour due to health concerns.
Born Prince Rogers Nelson in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 7, 1958, the music trailblazer is best known for transgressing genre, fusing rock, pop, funk, R&B, jazz and disco.
The music icon, who has won seven Grammys during his career, was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He won an Oscar for best original song score in 1985 for “Purple Rain.”
His 1984 album Purple Rain, which earned him two Grammys, solidified his place in music history. Two of the album’s five singles — “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” — reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart.
One of the most iconic musicians and bestselling pop artists of all time, Prince released 39 albums during a career that spanned more than 35 years.
His 1978 debut album “For You” and 1979 self-titled second LP were followed by such albums as “Purple Rain,” “Around the World in a Day” and “Sign o’ the Times.” He released four new full-length records since September 2014 with his latest band, 3rd Eye Girl.
Prince scored more than 50 top 40 hits since 1979, including the songs “When Doves Cry,” “1999” and “Raspberry Beret.”
Prince was embroiled in a now-infamous legal battle with Warner Bros in 1993 over the artistic and financial control of his musical output. He began going by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, changing his name to the combined sex symbols for male and female. He retired the glyph by the 2000s and went back to referring to himself as Prince
The icon also pushed boundaries with his androgynous looks, sexual lyrics and sensual dance moves on stage.
