Prince Dies at Age 57
Prince performing “Purple Rain” at the Super Bowl XLI Half-time Show at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL. (January 4, 2007)
A beloved music icon, Prince, stunned the world on Thursday, April 21st, 2016, by passing away at the age of 57. Prince was found unresponsive in his Paisley Park estate, located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, according to the New York Times.
Prince Rogers Nelson, was born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and developed an interest in music as a young child. The performer was a seven-time Grammy winner and has had many hits that top among music charts. Some of these songs include, Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, Kiss, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, and albums like, Dirty Mind, 1999, and Sign O’ the Times.
Prince also was praised for his 1984 film and album, Purple Rain, where he tells a fictionalized story of his own life: biracial, gifted, spectacularly ambitious. The music in the film won him an Academy Award, and the album sold more than 13 million copies in the United States alone.
President Barack Obama acknowledged Prince’s impact on music in our country and of the entire world.
“Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent,” stated Obama in London during a meeting with the British prime minister. “He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer. ‘A strong spirit transcends rules,’ Prince once said—and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative.”
Arrowhead junior, Andrew Hanson, says he was blown away by the news.
“I know Prince has had great hits over many years and to find out that he passed away, it was a big surprise,” said Hanson. “And to find out that he was only 57, was kind of disappointing.”
During the weeks leading up to his death, Prince was suffering from a bad case of the flu, but the cause of his death is still unknown, as an autopsy is currently conducted at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office in Ramsey, Minnesota.
As for Prince’s legacy as a performer, he will always live on and impact those with his music that will still continue to be heard around the world.
