Pop Superstar Prince Dead at 57
He passed away at his estate this morning, his publicist confirmed.
— -- Prince has died at age 57.
"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary iconic performer, Prince, 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 his death at this time."
The Carver County Sheriff's Department told ABC News in a statement that sheriff's deputies found the singer unresponsive Thursday morning in an elevator inside his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota. After first responders attempted CPR, Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.
Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the singer, songwriter, multiple instrumentalist, producer and actor was recognized as a musical genius, trend setter and advocate for artists’ rights. His indelible impact on pop music culture dates back to when he first surfaced in 1978 with his debut album "For You."
Prince's Life in Photos
The news comes days after a flight Prince was a passenger on had to make an emergency landing at Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois. The singer was then rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated for the flu, his rep confirmed. He was released three hours later.
Prince had been battling the illness for weeks, his rep said.
The singer, who was on his "Piano and a Microphone" tour," also had to cancel two shows earlier in the month due to the flu. The "Purple Rain" singer's last performance was Thursday night in Atlanta.
Named after the Prince Roger Trio, a jazz band his father performed with, Prince was signed to Warner Brother Records as a teenager.
His early albums -- 1979’s "Prince," 1980’s "Dirty Mind" and 1981’s "Controversy" -- built his core fan base while also creating controversial buzz due to their fusion of religious and sexual themes.
Combining rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, disco, psychedelia, jazz, and pop, Prince was regarded as the pioneer of the Minneapolis sound. He also gained a reputation for being a staunch perfectionist.
The 1984 semi-autobiographical rock musical drama film "Purple Rain" –- and its best-selling soundtrack -- vaulted him into the pop stratosphere. The film won the now-defunct Best Original Song Score award at the Oscars and the album was his best-selling one, amassing sales of over 25 million copies.
During the 1980s, at the height of his popularity, Prince was most frequently compared to Michael Jackson, who was considered his fiercest music rival.
He collaborated with a wide array of music acts including Sheena Easton, Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush, Madonna, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Cyndi Lauper and his former lover Sheila E. Through the years –- and a few name changes –- Prince spun his musical magic into outfits such as The Time, the all-female Vanity 6, and The New Power Generation.
In 1993, a legal battle ensued between Warner Bros. and Prince over the artistic and financial control of his musical output. During the intense lawsuit, he appeared in public with the word "slave" written on his cheek and started going by the name The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
With a singing style renowned for its versatility of reaching from the highest falsetto to the deepest baritone, Prince influenced an entire generation of artists. Today, you can hear remnants of his artistry in music by acts such as Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and Miguel, and a few veterans too, such as Lenny Kravitz, Meshell Ndegeocello, D'Angelo and Maxwell.
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