The World Mourns As Musical-Icon Prince Found Dead In Elevator

The world mourns as cultural-icon Prince (aka Prince Rogers Nelson) has died at 57. The seven-time Grammy Award winning artist was found dead inside the elevator of his palatial Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on Thursday.

Prior to his death, the “When Doves Cry” crooner had been battling severe flu-like symptoms that forced the cancellation of two scheduled April 7 appearances. However, Prince briefly rebounded and performed for the final time in Atlanta’s famed Fox Theater last week.

Unfortunately, following Prince’s Atlanta show, the innovator of Minneapolis sound’s condition took a dramatic turn for the worse. While aboard his jet, the 57-year-old was forced to make an emergency landing for immediate treatment at a Moline, Illinois hospital. Three hours later, and reportedly feeling better, Prince completed his flight home.

Though he had been ill recently, it still came as a sudden shock to his legion of fans when Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 AM Thursday morning. An autopsy to determine the cause of Prince’s passing is set to take place Friday morning, per the Midwest Medical Examiners Office in Ramsey, Minnesota.

The magnitude of Prince’s death was felt throughout the world. Even President Barack Obama spoke out regarding his heartfelt appreciation for the musical talents of Prince Rogers Nelson. Per Fox News:

“Today, the world lost a creative icon. Michelle and I join millions of fans from around the world in mourning the sudden death of Prince. Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent. As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer… Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his band, and all who loved him.?”

Born June 7, 1958, the future superstar discovered his musical abilities at a young age. In 1978, the then 19-year-old released his debut-album, For You. However, it was the purple one’s 1979 album, entitled Prince, and his subsequent three albums, that catapulted the Minneapolis, Minnesota, native to worldwide fame.

During his prolific career, Prince sold over 100 million albums, in addition to being named Rolling Stone’s 27th greatest artist of all-time. Ever the versatile entertainer, Prince appeared in several feature films including: Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon, Sign o’ The Times, and Graffiti Bridge.

Prince served as director for his final three films, while winning a coveted Academy Award for Best Original Score in the 1984 hit Purple Rain.

It was these unique talents, combined with a trailblazing personal style, that caused super-station MTV to preempt all regularly scheduled programming in the wake of his death to air music videos honoring Prince wall-to-wall Thursday.

When Prince was elected in his first year of eligibility to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2004, his plaque read:

“He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting-edge music in the Eighties. Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative.”

Certainly, the innovative Artist Formerly Known As Prince left an indelible mark upon pop-culture. Many contemporary artists list Prince among their main stylistic influences.

The world will celebrate the life of Prince, who died at age 57 for some time. Rumors of unreleased recordings and a personal memoir are reported to be made publicly available in the future.

[Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]