Prince: Pop icon dies at Paisley Park home aged 57
Updated
Pop icon Prince — one of the most influential but eccentric and elusive figures in music — has died at his home in Minnesota aged 57.
Key points: No details yet on cause of death
Investigation begins at Prince's Paisley Park home
Tributes flow from around the world
Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park Studios compound, which included his home, in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen, according to a Carver County Sheriff's Office statement. Emergency workers tried to revive him and he was pronounced dead a short time later.
"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson has died," his publicist Anna Meacham said.
Entertainment website TMZ reported Prince was treated for a drug overdose in the week before his death.
The 57-year-old was treated at a hospital after his private jet made an unscheduled landing in Moline, Illinois last Friday following a gig in Atlanta, amid reports that he had been battling influenza.
"Multiple sources in Moline tell us Prince was rushed to a hospital and doctors gave him a 'save shot' ... typically administered to counteract the effects of an opiate," TMZ reported.
It quoted unnamed sources as saying Prince had been advised by medics to remain in the hospital for 24 hours but decided to leave after three hours when he couldn't get a private room.
Authorities said an investigation was underway at the Grammy and Oscar winner's Paisley Park complex, where local media showed images of emergency vehicles.
Prince's autopsy will be conducted on Friday, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Prince became an international sensation in the 1980s, when he popularised the Minneapolis sound of funk.
His 1984 album Purple Rain is often described as one of the greatest of all time, while his hit songs included Purple Rain, Kiss and Little Red Corvette.
Prince won an Oscar for best original song score for Purple Rain, the 1984 movie whose music was based on his album of the same name. He also starred in the movie.
During his career Prince recorded 47 songs that reached the Billboard top 100 in the US, including 19 top 10s and five that reached number one: When Doves Cry, Kiss, Let's go Crazy, Cream and Batdance).
When Doves Cry, which featured on Purple Rain, remained number one on the Billboard charts in the US for five weeks and was ranked by Billboard as the number one single in the US for 1984.
In the 20 years from 1980 to the end of 1999 he had 44 top 100 hits on the Billboard chart - more than any other artist.
As well as writing and performing his own songs, Prince penned numerous songs that became hits for other artists, including Manic Monday for the Bangles in 1986 and Nothing Compares 2 U, a worldwide smash hit for Sinead O'Connor and the top selling single in Australia in 1990.
The artist, who was born as Prince Nelson, lived in the outskirts of Minneapolis, where he was known for throwing parties and preserving masters of his work in the vaults of his Paisley Park studio.
He was recently prolific in his output, releasing albums through streaming site Tidal, and had taken to scheduling shows at the last minute to avoid scalpers, and toured Australia earlier this year.
A 'true visionary' with a unique gift
Fellow musicians and other celebrities led an immediate outpouring of tributes and expressions of shock.
Inside Paisley Park
Paisley Park Studios, where Prince recorded nearly 30 albums, was also where the music icon lived.
He had other places of residence, but the $10 million compound just outside Minneapolis long served as the central location for his work.
The music haven is made up of several studios and conference rooms.
It also reportedly houses a secretive basement vault housing a legendary collection of unreleased songs — reputedly enough material for Prince to keep releasing albums long after his death.
The singer also hosted events at Paisley Park, with his final public appearance being a dance party at the studio on Saturday. Paisley Park Studios, where Prince recorded nearly 30 albums, was also where the music icon lived.He had other places of residence, but the $10 million compound just outside Minneapolis long served as the central location for his work.The music haven is made up of several studios and conference rooms.It also reportedly houses a secretive basement vault housing a legendary collection of unreleased songs — reputedly enough material for Prince to keep releasing albums long after his death.The singer also hosted events at Paisley Park, with his final public appearance being a dance party at the studio on Saturday.
US President Barack Obama called Prince "one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time."
"Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly," Mr Obama said in a statement. "Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer."
"RIP our dearly beloved Prince. Tears and love on our tour bus … I'll never forget my brother. We've had good times," American musician, producer, and guitarist Nile Rodgers tweeted.
Sheila E., a singer and percussionist who worked closely with Prince in the 1980s, wrote on Twitter: "My heart is broken. There are no words. I love you!"
Madonna mourned Prince as a "true visionary".
"He changed the world!! A true visionary. What a loss. I'm devastated," she wrote on Instagram, where she posted a picture of herself with the Purple One.
"I Miss My Brother. Prince Was A Funny Cat. Great Sense Of Humor," director Spike Lee tweeted.
Recording Academy president Neil Portnow mourned the seven-time Grammy winner, calling him "one of the most uniquely gifted artists of all time".
"Never one to conform, he redefined and forever changed our musical landscape," he said in a statement.
"Prince was an original who influenced so many, and his legacy will live on forever."
Shocked fans gather at Paisley Park
Shocked fans gathered with media crews outside Paisley Park's gates to mourn the award-winning singer and musician, whose genre-defying music combined jazz, funk and disco.
Music TV channel MTV said it was changing its logo to purple for the day in honour of Prince.
Social media lit up with reaction from dismayed friends and fans.
An intensely private person, Prince sold more than 100 million records during his career, won seven Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
His music was marked by sexually charged lyrics and explosive live performances, while his private life was marked by a string of romances linking him with the likes of Madonna and actresses Kim Basinger and Carmen Electra.
In 2007, he played the Super Bowl in one of the most celebrated such performances.
ABC/AFP/Reuters
Topics: music, arts-and-entertainment, death, united-states
First posted
Arquivo de foto de Prince em 2008. 

Prince em 2008. 
O autor, actor, compositor, performance, intérprete e cantor americano Prince Rogers Nelson, mais conhecido por apenas nome artístico de , ícone pop na década de 80, morreu ontem (na quinta-feira, 21) aos 57 anos de idade. Prince foi encontrado morto na manhã de ontem em seu domicílio em , na cidade de , no Estado de , nos .
Prince no concerto em 2008. 
O primeiro veículo a noticiar a morte de Prince foi o sitio de internet (web site)  (que ficou conhecido internacionalmente por ter dado notícia de morte do também cantor  em 2009, enquanto outros meios de comunicações ainda noticiaram a internação do então "Rei do Pop" no hospital) em torno do meio-dia (hora local), mas a notícia não foi inicialmente confirmada pela comitiva do cantor.

No entanto, cerca de uma hora depois, a morte foi confirmada pelo publicitário de Prince, que informou à agência de notícias :

Um comunicado da esquadra do xerife de  disse Prince foi encontrado por volta das 9hs43min (hora local) inconsciente pela polícia no elevador em sua casa em . Equipas de emergência foram chamados, mas depois eles foram incapazes de reanimá-lo, ele foi declarado oficialmente morto às 10hs07min hora local.

Apesar da causa da morte ser desconhecida, não está certo se a morte prematura do Prince tem alguma relacção à internação tida pelo cantor ocorrida apenas seis dias antes. Na última sexta-feira (dia 15 de abril), o avião particular do cantor foi forçado a fazer uma aterragem forçada para permitir a internação imediata na cidade americana de , após ficar doente. Na época, Prince foi hospitalizado com sintomas de , mas no dia seguinte (16 de abril), surpreendeu público e a imprensa ao voltar ao trabalho e acalmou seus fãs que passava bem.

O  informou que uma autópsia será realizada para determinar a causa da morte de Prince.
=== Reacções ===
Com a notícia da morte do cantor, inúmeros fãs/fans de Prince já mostram suas condolências nos arredores de sua residência, como também suscitou profunda comoção no  (mundo do espetáculo), através das redes sociais.

Entre as mensagens de condolências, foram os de colegas , que twittou: «Então... O mundo perdeu um monte de magia. Descanse em paz, e obrigado por nos dar tanto». , que escreveu: «Agora mesmo Prince. Não, não, não... Descanse em paz génio». A cantora Madonna , com os quais o príncipe tinha gravado a canção ''Love Song'', identificou-se como "devastada" com a notícia.

Mesmo os fãs ao redor do mundo, prestaram homenagem ao artista falecido, reunindo em praças e interpretar suas canções mais famosas. Em honra do Prince, as ruas de várias cidades norte-americanas foram coradas roxo (ou púrpula), a cor preferida do cantor, mencionado também no título da canção ''Purple Rain''.

Após os primeiros relatos sobre a morte do cantor, no momento não abria a página sobre ele na Wikipedia em Inglês, devido ao congestionamento ( captura de ecrã ou tela).

=== Carreira ===
Prince em 1990. (1958-2016)
Prince, nascido Prince Rogers Nelson, nasceu em Minneapolis, em 7 de junho de 1958. O cantor de pop Prince, cuja carreira começou no final dos anos 1970, quando lançou seu primeiro álbum em 1978, quando tinha apenas 20 anos, na chamada ''Era Disco''. Prince, é considerado um dos criadores do estilo «rhythm and blues».

Só começou a ganhar destaque apenas no começo da década de 1980 com outro lançamento de novo álbum. Lançado em 1982, a gravação do Príncipe '''' instantaneamente fez dele uma estrela internacional. Duas faixas do álbum entrou na lista das maiores canções de todos os tempos, segundo a revista Rolling Stone.

No entanto, se tornou mundialmente célebre em 1984, quando estrelou no filme musical '''', na qual também interpreta a  baseada em seu  do mesmo nome. A grande repecussão do filme-canção de Prince o fez ganhar o  do , como melhor trilha sonora por canção original em 1985.

Nos anos seguintes, gravou mais de 30 álbuns e seus lançamentos na década de 1980 incluem: '''' e ''''. As cinco dessas músicas, '''', ''Kiss'', '''', '''' e '''', foram número um. A canção ''When Doves Cry'' foi número um durante cinco semanas.

Vendeu mais de 100 milhões de discos só apenas na década de 1980 e teve 47 canções atingirem  EUA. Prince ganhou sete  e em 2004, foi incluído no .

Ele também escreveu músicas que foram lançadas com sucesso por outros artistas, como '''' (lançado em 1986 por ) e '''' (lançado em 1990 por ).