On Thursday, April 21, the world lost one of its musical icons. Prince Rogers Nelson, known as Prince who was born on June 7, 1958.
Prince rose to fame with his album Dirty Mind in 1980. This was followed by many hit songs such as “Little Red Corvette,” “Purple Rain,” “When Doves Cry,” “1999” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” His success continued into the 1990s.
Several of Prince’s songs reached the top 10 in the charts, and he won seven Grammys.
Prince played over 20 instruments and was a dedicated songwriter. He dressed in a flamboyant manner, and his songs often explored sexuality and spirits. In the 1990s, Prince got into a feud into his label, Warner Bros. During this time, Prince made music without a stage name, instead using a symbol/glyph. He also wrote many successful songs for other artists, such as “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “Manic Monday.”
A week before his death, Prince’s plane made an emergency landing, citing that Prince was having flu-like symptoms. However, it is also a possibility that Prince was addicted to painkillers.
Prince was found dead in an elevator at his home on April 21.
Fan mourning took place in his home state of Minnesota and all around the world. It is unclear what exactly was Prince’s cause of death, as the autopsy results are not yet available. Also noteworthy, according to his sister, Prince never left a will, which will likely lead to a legal battle given the amount of money he had and the fact that he has no children.
Fans all around were surprised and saddened by his death. While Prince’s impact undoubtedly spans generations, he will be most missed by those who came of age in the 1980s.
“He was very talented,” said Josh Tiller a sophomore. “I didn’t listen to him that often, but my mom cried when she heard he died… he had a huge impact.”
Prince will always be remembered as a creative genius. His fans anxiously await the autopsy results and other stars’ tributes to Prince.
