WhereIsAtlas · Music
Prince
The Minneapolis prodigy who blended funk, rock and pop into a singular sound — and died in 2016
Deceased — Prince died on April 21, 2016 at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota at age 57. He was a prolific singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist — one of the most creative and influential artists of his generation, and a symbol of his hometown of Minneapolis.
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was a musical prodigy who wrote, produced and played nearly everything on his early records. He signed a major-label deal as a teenager and became a star in the late 1970s and early 1980s, blending funk, rock, pop and R&B into a sound entirely his own.
His 1984 album and film Purple Rain made him a global superstar, and he spent decades as one of the most inventive artists in popular music, producing a huge body of work and playing virtually every instrument himself. He also became a fierce champion of artist control, famously fighting his label and briefly changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.
Prince died on April 21, 2016 at his home studio, Paisley Park, in Minnesota, at age 57. His death was ruled an accidental overdose. He is remembered as a prodigious, genre-defying talent and a defining figure of both Minneapolis and popular music.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1958, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Died
- April 21, 2016, Paisley Park, Minnesota
- Signature work
- Purple Rain (1984)
- Multi-instrumentalist
- Played nearly all his instruments
- Known for
- Artist control and the unpronounceable symbol
- Genre
- Funk, rock and pop fusion
- Legacy
- A defining figure of Minneapolis
Sources
- Prince (musician) - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
- Music icon Prince dead at age 57 — CBC News (2026-09-05)
Related: michael jackson · madonna · david bowie · john lennon