Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known by the mononym Prince, was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. Prince was renowned as an innovator, and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and wide vocal range. He was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound. His music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, soul, psychedelia, and pop.
Prince was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin's band 94 East, 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album For You in 1978, under the guidance of manager Owen Husney. His 1979 album Prince went platinum due to the success of the singles "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". His next three records—Dirty Mind(1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982)—continued his success, showcasing Prince's trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance, and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name. A prolific songwriter, Prince in the 1980s wrote songs for and produced work by many other acts, often under pseudonyms.
2016: Illness and death
Prince postponed two performances from his Piano & A Microphone Tour on April 7, 2016, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, stating that he was "battling the flu".[146] He performed that Atlanta concert on Thursday, April 14, even though he had still not been feeling well.[147] Following the concert, early the next morning while flying back to Minneapolis, his private jet made an emergency landing at Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois, so that he could seek medical treatment. Representatives stated that he suffered from "bad dehydration" and had been fighting influenza for several weeks.[147] TMZ reported that he was treated for a drug overdose and left the hospital contrary to doctors' recommendation.[148] Prince was seen in public the following evening, when he shopped at the Electric Fetus in Minneapolis on Record Store Day, and made a brief appearance at a dance party at his Paisley Park recording studio complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota, stating that he was feeling okay.[149] He also attended a performance by singer Lizz Wright at the Dakota Jazz Club on April 19.[150]
Prince was found dead in an elevator on the morning of April 21, 2016 at his Paisley Park complex.[151] An emergency call was placed at 9:43 a.m; he did not respond to CPR, and was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. He was 57 years old.[152] U.S. President Barack Obama expressed condolences[153][154] as did musicians including Frank Ocean, Brian Wilson, Missy Elliott, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Questlove, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Simon Raymonde, Chaka Khan and a variety of other cultural figures.[155]
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