Singer, songwriter, producer, one-man band, master showman: Prince.
On Thursday, April 21, music icon Prince Rogers Nelson died in his Channhassen, Minnesota residence at age 57.
In early April, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Prince was not feeling well and canceled a concert at the Fox Theater in Georgia.
Days later, he performed an unusually short 80-minute acoustic set in Atlanta on a smoke-filled stage. His repertoire included classic songs that kept a lighthearted mood.
After performing, the singer’s plane made an emergency landing so that he could be rushed to a hospital in Moline, Illinois. In a statement to CNN, publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said, “He is fine and at home.”
In a statement given to the New York Times, Carver County sheriff Jim Olson said that deputies responded to an emergency call at 9:43 a.m. on April 21.
“When deputies and medical personnel arrived, they found an unresponsive adult male in the elevator. First responders attempted to provide lifesaving CPR, but were unable to revive the victim. He was pronounced deceased at 10:07 a.m.,” he said.
Despite the emergency, a cause of death has not been released.
According to CNN, “A massive outpouring of grief followed on social media. Some are saying the icon’s death ‘is what it sounds like when doves cry,’ a reference to his monster hit from 1984.”
Tweet by Katy Perry / Screenshot by Mona MurhamerThroughout his career, Prince dedicated himself to fighting the often restrictive music industry.
“When I first started out in the music industry, I was most concerned with freedom. Freedom to produce, freedom to play all the instruments on my records, freedom to say anything I wanted to,” said Prince after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Since then, he has produced numerous albums showcasing his desire to break the mold. Some of his most well-known songs include the “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Kiss,” and “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” Albums like “Dirty Mind,” “1999,” and “Sign O’ the Times” were statements unifying dualities, according to the New York Times.
His music has touched a diverse range of audiences because of his ability to put different stories into his work. His habit of breaking boundaries inspired fans to follow their own paths toward creative freedom.
“Prince means the future, because he’s changed music, everyone in music, he’s influenced every person, and I believe that he represents our future, and it kind of died with him in a way,” said singer Kaleena Zanders in a statement to CNN.
