According to reports, iconic music artist Prince has died.
This morning, social media was abuzz saying the artist died, but this information was not initially confirmed by authorities, leading fans and others to believe he was yet another celebrity victim of a death hoax.
Breaking news alerts indicated that detectives were investigating a death at superstar musician and artist’s studios in Minneapolis.
His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure confirmed the platinum-selling music icon was found dead in his home today.
TMZ reported
that there was a response to a medical emergency at Prince’s property today at about 9:43 a.m. Just a few days ago, the 57-year-old singer, whose birth name is Prince Rogers Nelson, was released from hospital after a bout of flu.Prince was known for his sultry, innovative style of playing instruments, from guitar to piano, and his infamous 1993 boycott of his record label, once donning the word “slave” across his face in fighting Warner Bros. for artistic and
financial control of his music. He even changed his name to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince in the standoff. It was a landmark statement and set the tone for other artists to adjust and negotiate their contracts.His 1984 film, “Purple Rain,” brought in $80 million at the box office and has become a cult classic. Its soundtrack of the same name garnered the film an Oscar for Best Original Song Score.
In 2004 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“When I first started out in the music industry, I was most concerned with freedom,” he said in accepting the honor. “Freedom to produce, freedom to play all the instruments on my records, freedom to say anything I wanted to … Without any real spiritual mentors other than artists … whose records I admired … Larry Graham being one of them … I embarked on a journey more fascinating than I could ever have imagined. But a word to the wise. Without real spiritual mentoring, too much freedom can lead to the soul’s decay. And a word to the young artists … a real friend or mentor is not on your table. A real friend and mentor cares for your soul as much as they do the other one. This world and its wicked systems becomes harder and harder to deal with without a real friend or mentor. And I wish all of you the best.”