2016 is officially shaping up to be one of the saddest years for the music industry — after the loss of David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Merle Haggard, Prince is dead at 57.
TMZ cited “multiple sources connected to the singer” as saying Prince’s body was found early this morning at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota.
Prince’s private jet made an emergency landing in Illinois on Friday after playing a show in Atlanta due to an undisclosed medical emergency those close to the singer attributed to the flu and dehydration.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune said police were not releasing the name of the deceased pending notification of next of kin.
“We’re currently conducting a death investigation and there isn’t much I can say,” said Jason Kamerud, chief sheriff’s deputy for Carver County. “We’re withholding information on the identification of the decedent until after we’ve connected with the next of kin. Once that has been done we will issue a press release.”
The Paisley Park studio complex is located in Chanhassen, west of Minneapolis, where Prince was born.
A spokeswoman for Prince then confirmed to the Associated Press that the singer-songwriter was dead.
Prince Rogers Nelson, who changed his name to a symbol before reverting back to Prince, is one of the best-selling artists of all time, fusing funk and rock solo and with groups The Revolution and The New Power Generation. From “1999” to “Purple Rain,” the “Little Red Corvette” and “Cream,” Prince released more than 100 singles dating back to 1978. Chart-toppers included “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Kiss,” and “Batdance.”
Prince showed up at a Paisley Park dance party on Saturday night — $10 tickets, he tweeted, “2 GIVE THANX 4 THE GOOD WEATHER AND 4 ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT” — where he reportedly did not sing but showed the crowd his new guitar and piano and said, “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”
On Sunday, he tweeted gratitude in the form of a lyric from the song “Kiss.”
THANX EVERYBODY 4 UR EXTRA TIME & UR…
— Prince (@prince) April 17, 2016
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter Bernice King tweeted of Prince: “Incomparable. One like him will never pass this way again. Thankful that he passed this way.”
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