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Artist News Top Stories
Prince dies
By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 22 April 2016
Tributes filled the internet overnight for Prince, following his sudden death yesterday. The legendary musician’s passing was confirmed by a publicist yesterday afternoon UK time, after an initial report by TMZ. His body was reportedly found in a lift at his Minnesota home. No cause of death has yet been announced, with an investigation ongoing and post-mortem due to take place later today.
“It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57”, his publicist said yesterday. “There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time”.
Last Friday, an aeroplane on which Prince was travelling home after a show in Atlanta made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, where he was taken to hospital. A rep for the musician later told TMZ that he had been suffering with flu for a number of days, but was treated and discharged within three hours. Days later, the musician held an impromptu public performance at his home, seemingly to show that he was in good health.
There were, of course, countless tributes paid by fans, collaborators, musicians, celebrities, journalists, music industry execs and other public figures in the wake of the news yesterday, including one from US president Barrack Obama.
Obama said in a statement: “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”.
He added: “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. ‘A strong spirit transcends rules’, Prince once said – and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his band, and all who loved him”.
As well as his prolific musical creativity, Prince’s navigation of the music business was also varied and idiosyncratic. He had a long but tumultuous relationship with Warner Bros Records – leading to the musician changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in protest against his record deal in the 90s – though more recently he repaired his relationship with the label for a campaign of reissues.
The label’s CEO Cameron Strang said in a statement last night: “Today, we lost one of the most revolutionary talents of our time. Prince’s untimely passing is deeply shocking, reminding us that unique artists who chart their own course and move culture are precious few and irreplaceable”.
“He leapt onto the scene in 1978 and it didn’t take the world long to realise that pop music had changed forever”, Strang continued. “He played the studio like an instrument and shattered the definition of live performance. He defined a new kind of superstardom, with a transformative impact not just on music, but on video, film, and style”.
“Prince was the epitome of cool and mystery – an inspirational soul who created his own universe by bringing together different genres, races and cultures with a purity of sound and spirit unlike any other. His visionary gifts as a songwriter, vocalist, musician, performer and producer placed him in a league all his own”.
He concluded: “We are honoured to have had Prince as a member of the Warner Bros Records family during two eras of his astonishing career. We express our deepest condolences to everyone who loved him and join his family, friends and legion of fans in mourning his loss”.
It is not yet clear who will now take on the musician’s estate, and therefore manage the very particular controls Prince placed upon his music. He was famously strict about keeping much of his work off much of the internet – his publisher’s case against a woman who uploaded a video of her baby dancing to one of his songs in 2007 is still ongoing, and he went so far as to have six second clips of his performances removed from Vine. Last year he then pulled all of his music off streaming services other than Tidal (before releasing one single on Spotify).
In 2010, he stated: “The internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it. The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good. They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you”.
More recently Prince did begin using social media, perhaps returning slightly more to the view of his 1996 internet-focussed song ‘My Computer’. However, what processes he put in place, if any, to ensure that his views on how is music is distributed online are upheld after his death will no doubt become clear in the relatively near future.
Creatively, Prince had been in the midst of a very active period in the last two years. In 2014, he played a series of low-key shows, announced at short notice, with his new band 3rdeyegirl. He released one album with the band, and three other solo records in 2014 and 2015, coming after a gap of three years, the longest period without an album release of his nearly 40 year career.
This year Prince had been touring solo for the first time, under the banner One Man And A Piano. At one such show last month he announced that he was writing his autobiography, due for publication next year. It’s not clear how much of that was written at the time of his death, though he previously suggested the book was in its early stages.
