Music icon Prince dead at 57

Prince, who defined the sound of the ‘80s with songs such as “Kiss” and “Purple Rain” and defied the music industry in a fight for creative freedom, died Thursday.

The 57-year-old singer was found unresponsive 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 is scheduled to take place Friday.

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.

A man called 911 at 9:43 a.m. from Prince’s estate, first reporting an unconscious person and then reporting a death, according to a transcript of the call released by authorities.

“The person is dead here. ... And the people are just distraught,” the man said as he struggled to find an address to give the dispatcher.

The person who died, deputies soon discovered, was Prince. Authorities haven’t identified who made the call to 911 or details about the circumstances surrounding the call.

Word of Prince’s death sparked a massive outpouring of grief on social media, outside his famed studios and even from the White House.

Fans rushed to record stores to pick up albums and other Prince memorabilia. Some said the icon’s death “is what it sounds like when doves cry,” a reference to his monster hit from 1984.

“As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader and an electrifying performer,” U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement. “ ‘A strong spirit transcends rules,’ Prince once said -- and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative.”

Fans camped out by Paisley Park, the artist’s home and recording studio, leaving bouquets of flowers and signs at a makeshift memorial.

They also flocked to First Avenue, the downtown Minneapolis dance club that became a landmark after Prince used it in the movie “Purple Rain,” CNN affiliate WCCO reported. Mourners left flowers, cards and candles on the sidewalk outside, and snapped photos of the wall where Prince’s name is painted inside a large star. Many lined up for an all-night dance party in Prince’s honor.

Prince’s sound was as unique and transfixing as he was. He created what became known as the Minneapolis sound, which was a funky blend of pop, synth and new wave.

Controversy followed the singer and that, in part, made his fans adore him more.

The singer’s fame never waned through the decades, but he was considered synonymous with the 1980s. His fame reached a fever pitch with the 1984 film “Purple Rain,” about an aspiring musician, his troubled home life and a budding romance.

He was a prolific musician. Between 1985 and 1992, he released eight albums, one per year, including the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s “Batman.” He starred in two more movies during that era: “Under the Cherry Moon” and “Graffiti Bridge.” He also put out a concert film. “Sign ‘o’ the Times” hit theaters in 1987.

He infamously changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in the 1990s during a dispute with his record label, Warner Bros. He started to become known then as the “Artist Formerly Known as Prince.”

In 2000, when the singer’s publishing contract with the company expired, he reclaimed the name Prince.

Prince won seven Grammy Awards and earned 30 nominations. Five of his singles topped the charts and 14 other songs hit the Top 10. He won an Oscar for best original song score for “Purple Rain.”

The singer’s predilection for lavishly kinky story-songs earned him the nickname “His Royal Badness.” He was also known as the “Purple One” because of his colorful fashions.

Speaking with Larry King on CNN almost two decades ago, Prince said he knew what was always important to him.

“I kind of did what I wanted to do. I wanted my music, even now, to speak loudest for me.”

Source: CNN