The Prince has left the building

LEGENDARY singer Prince has passed away at the age of 57. The iconic one-of-a-kind chameleon was reportedly found dead by paramedics when they were sent to Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota on the morning of Thursday April 21.

He had reportedly been ill with flu-like symptoms for several weeks, but was thought to be on the road to recovery just a week ago before things took a turn for the worse last Friday, when his private jet made an emergency landing in Illinois.

Sources say that he was treated for a few hours and then released.

Only the night before, he had performed at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and witnesses stated that he appeared to be feeling fine.

Prince was born in Minneapolis in 1958. Perhaps best known for his signature tune ‘Purple Rain’ and its accompanying movie and #1 album, for which he scooped up several grammys (over Michael Jackson’s Thriller) and an Oscar, he is also noted for a boundary-pushing career that spanned multiple decades and genres.

He was never afraid to rebel against traditional concepts of masculinity or gender and his eye-catching fashion was as much a part of his make-up as his irresistibly catchy funk, soul, rock and r&b tunes.

Over the course of his career he released 39 albums which racked up numerous awards and widespread critical acclaim. He continued to work steadily right up until his death; in just the last year and a half he released four full-length albums with his most recent band, 3rdeyegirl.

His eccentric behaviour was never far off the radar and he notably made headlines in the 90s when he changed his name from ‘Prince’ to ‘the Artist Formerly Known as Prince’.