Legendary musician Prince — one of the most popular, inventive and influential recording artists of his generation — died Thursday morning at his suburban Minnesota compound, his publicist said.
“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,†publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said in a statement. “There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time.â€
The Carver County’s Sheriff’s Office said the musician was “found dead at Paisley Park Studios.â€
“We are investigating the circumstances of his death,†the sheriff’s office said.
Prince — an eccentric and eclectic singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger — became one of pop music’s leading icons in the 1980s, a towering figure who found enormous critical and commercial success by blending R&B and rock to make a relentlessly funky and soulful stew.
[Obituary: Artist was pop music’s chameleon]
“Perhaps more than any other artist, Prince called the tune for pop music in the Eighties,†Rolling Stone declared.
His epochal 1984 album, “Purple Rain,†featuring a string of hit singles including “When Doves Cry†and “Let’s Go Crazy,†sold more than 13 million copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and is regarded as one of the greatest recordings of the decade.
[Help us celebrate Prince by annotating the lyrics of ‘Purple Rain’]
The Minnesota native was inducted in 2004 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which noted that when Prince first arrived on the scene in the 1970s, “it didn’t take long for him to upend the music world with his startling music and arresting demeanor. He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the Eighties.â€
“Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative. His colorful image and revolutionary music made Prince a figure comparable in paradigm-shifting impact to Little Richard, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and George Clinton.â€
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