Prince Rogers Nelson, one of the most successful musical artists of all time, has died aged 57.
Known simply as Prince, the Purple Rain singer died at his Paisley Park studio in Minnesota, the state where he was born and raised.
“It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died,” his publicist said in a statement. “There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time.”
The singer was briefly hospitalized in Illinois last week for a flu emergency, according to TMZ, and cancelled two shows in Atlanta because of the illness.
Police said on Thursday morning that they were investigating a death at Prince’s estate, but would not confirm the deceased’s identity until the next of kin had been notified.
Prince wrote hundreds of songs for himself and other artists and released 39 studio albums, including four in the last 18 months. His 1984 album Purple Rain is frequently listed as one of the best albums in history, and earned him an Oscar and Grammy.
From sex to politics, Prince’s lyrics spanned as wide a variety of topics as they did styles of music. A longstanding rumor claims that he played all 27 instruments on his debut album, For You.
Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
He did not shy away from politics – his song Ronnie, Talk to Russia touched on the cold war, and Sign O the Times dealt with poverty, drug addiction and violence.
In 2002, he held a forum at Paisley Park with prominent black academics Tavis Smiley, Michael Eric Dyson and Cornel West. In May 2015, he performed in Baltimore following heated protests throughout the city over the death in police custody of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.
Last month, publisher Spiegel & Grau announced that it had acquired Prince’s memoir, set for release in late 2017. “We’re starting from the beginning from my first memory and hopefully we can go all the way up to the Super Bowl,” Prince said.
The memoir would likely also provide details on his two marriages.
Prince married his backup singer Mayte Garcia in 1996, and they had a son who died a week after he was born. The couple divorced in 1999 and Prince married Manuela Testolini in 2001. They divorced in 2006.
An exalted son of Minnesota, he pioneered the funky, rock’n’roll, Minneapolis sound in the late 1970s, when the international rock star began one of the most prolific musical careers in history.
Local tributes quickly poured in after his death was announced, with the Minneapolis-St Paul radio station 89.3, The Current, playing his music non-stop.
He held a dance party last Saturday at the Paisley Park estate, selling tickets for just $10.
Prince made a short appearance at the event, where he played a purple Yamaha piano and showed off a new metallic purple guitar, according to the Star Tribune.
In regards to his recent bout with the flu, Prince told attendees: “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”
