The singer Prince has died at his recording studio, age 57.
Entertainment website TMZ said his body was discovered at his compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota this morning. A spokesperson confirmed his death to The Independent. "The news is devastatingly true," they said.
Carver County Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud told Fox 9 that they responded to a medical call at 9.43 am. The cause of death is not yet clear.
The iconic singer, real name Prince Rogers Nelson, was hospitalised after his jet made an emergency landing on Friday morning.
A spokesperson later said he was suffering from the flu prior to the performance and that the plane landed at Moline so he could receive treatment there. Prince later flew on and returned home.
Born in Minneapolis, Prince became a pop icon in the late 1970s with the hits “Wanna Be Your Lover”, cementing his cult status with albums such as 1999 and Purple Rain.
Drawing influence from pop, R&B, soul, disco and jazz, his originality, flamboyant stage presence and instrumental talent made him one of the most unique musicians in the last four decades.
A prolific songwriter, Prince also wrote a string of hit songs for other singers. His sexually free lyrics interspersed with funk, rock, pop and soul only served to increase his popularity and Prince continued to be one of the most of the most enduring musicians over forty years.
He released his first major studio album, For You, in 1978, recorded without a band. The album was not a huge commercial success and Prince released his eponymous album in 1979, which went on to reach number four in the Billboard Soul LP charts.
Rolling Stone declared Prince “one of the most naturally gifted artists of all time, and also one of the most mysterious”.
Prince was born into a musical family: his father led a Minneapolis jazz band which his mother sang in. By seven he was playing the piano and by 14 guitar and drums - all three without ever receiving lessons on any.
Prince’s refusal to confirm became one of his defining characteristics; he defiantly changed his name to a symbol that no-one could pronounce without any concern for the reaction this decision might receive. Themes in his third album Dirty Mind included oral sex such as the song "Head", ensuring many were considered too obscene for airplay. Unperturbed, he continued to release tracks with sexual subtexts which began climbing charts.
But it was the album Purple Rain, released in 1984, that saw Prince propelled to the top of the charts and secured his place in music history. The album, which included hits When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy, appeared on a number of greatest album lists and earned the singer his first two of many Grammy awards.
But Prince’s powerful draw was about more than just his music, it was his indomitable presence; the ubiquitous Prince symbol, his flair, and glam rock aesthetic marked him out throughout the 80s and 90s and until his death today.
