Singer Prince Dead at 57

E_Pluribus_Venom · Apr 21, 2016

Prince, the legendary musician who brought us countless hits, such as “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry,” has died, TMZ reports. He was 57.

A source close to the singer confirmed the tragic news to The Huffington Post. Prince’s publicist also confirmed the news to the Associated Press.

The award-winning artist died on Thursday at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota. The cause of death has yet to be released.

HuffPost has reached out to his reps.

Earlier this week, the performer was treated for the flu after his plane made an emergency landing.

A representative for Prince told TMZ that the singer was feeling under the weather during his shows last week and began feeling worse on the plane. After the emergency landing, he was treated at a hospital and released three hours later
Click to expand...

Source

Rest in peace to a brilliant entertainer, songwriter & musician. The music world has been dealt a heavy blow.

MMC · Apr 21, 2016

E_Pluribus_Venom said: ↑

Source

Rest in peace to a brilliant entertainer, songwriter & musician. The music world has been dealt a heavy blow.
Click to expand...

Damn.....57. Not to mention one can't just pull up his material like most others. He is in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.

[video=youtube;pYVOrzv61Yg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYVOrzv61Yg[/video]

The man born Prince Rogers Nelson stood just 5 feet, 2 inches and seemed to summon the most original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that openly drew upon Jimi Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto or turning out album after album of stunningly original material. Among his other notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album."

In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame, which hailed him as a musical and social trailblazer.

"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," reads the Hall's dedication. "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.".....snip~

http://townhall.com/news/us/2016/04...ar-prince-dies-at-his-minnesota-home-n2152127

R.I.P. Prince Rogers Nelson.

catalinacat · Apr 21, 2016

He died of flu like symptoms? A very talented musician - he could play multiple numbers of instruments.

MMC · Apr 21, 2016

Live developments and reaction on the musician’s passing.....

2 hours ago
Just in from the Carver County Sheriff's Department:

Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson reports that on April 21, 2016, at about 9:43 am, sheriff’s deputies responded to a medical call at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen. When deputies and medical personnel arrived, they found an unresponsive adult male in the elevator. First responders attempted to provide lifesaving CPR, but were unable to revive the victim. He was pronounced deceased at 10:07 am. He has been identified as Prince Rogers Nelson (57) of Chanhassen.

The Carver County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

an hour ago
President Obama issues a statement on the passing of Prince:

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.

“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.

President Obama
via Facebook.....snip~

https://www.yahoo.com/news/princes-...the-pop-stars-reported-passing-170445685.html

LibChik · Apr 21, 2016

E_Pluribus_Venom said: ↑

Source

Rest in peace to a brilliant entertainer, songwriter & musician. The music world has been dealt a heavy blow.
Click to expand...

I've listed to Prince since I was a kid...he's on every play list I have and I have spend years of my life listening to every note, word and nuance of so much of his complex, amazing music. He was just a cool cat and he was timeless.

I'm so sorry he's gone...he was the Bach, Tchaichovsky, Berlioz, Mozart and Beethoven of our time all rolled into one. A millennium from now people will still be marveling over his artistry and young kids will be learning how to play his music.

What a reminder of how transient life is...

Rest in Peace Prince...you will be idolized and missed.

Phoebe Bump · Apr 21, 2016

He was a good one.

MMC · Apr 21, 2016

MnDOT

The I-35W Bridge will reign purple tonight.

MMC · Apr 21, 2016

NASA [MENTION=61117]Nas[/MENTION]A

A purple nebula, in honor of Prince, who passed away today.....

vanillaice [MENTION=14921]Van[/MENTION]illaice
I say we wear something purple in memory of Prince all weekend long. #Thepurpleweekend @prince....snip~ same link.

MMC · Apr 21, 2016

Even the Drudge Report is Honoring Prince.

DRUDGE goes all purple for Prince.

TheCurrent

@TheCurrent

Starting at 1 p.m. CDT, we are playing wall-to-wall Prince. Please listen with us: https://t.co/aLTp3nWCcT https://t.co/S3jZd6ZrRm

RPA1 · Apr 21, 2016

catalinacat said: ↑

He died of flu like symptoms? A very talented musician - he could play multiple numbers of instruments.
Click to expand...

Ya, I was thinking the same thing. He died way to young.

Herkdriver · Apr 21, 2016

The best Super Bowl half-time show of them all....ever. The man was a consummate showman.

RIP Prince

MMC · Apr 21, 2016

[video=youtube;N0FrwbO6-Q0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0FrwbO6-Q0[/video]

Shelly Ann · Apr 21, 2016

So sad. This year has not been kind to musicians. Glen Frey, David Bowie and now Prince.. RIP

Deckel · Apr 21, 2016

Some outlets are now reporting that his "flu" a week ago was a drug overdose.

waltky · Apr 22, 2016

Baby boomer celebrities are gettin' up in years...

Why so many celebrities have died in 2016
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - The deaths of Prince and Victoria Wood this week come off the back of a number of other celebrity deaths this year: so are more celebrities dying?

We are only four months in, but it's already been a dark, dark 2016. It now seems rare for a week to pass without a significant celebrity death being reported - from David Bowie in the second week of January, to actor Alan Rickman a week later, to comedian Victoria Wood and Prince this week. "Enough, 2016" and a more vulgar alternative are phrases people are uttering more and more regularly. So is this wave of celebrity deaths the new normal? The answer is yes, according BBC's obituary editor Nick Serpell, who ought to know about such things. He says the number of significant deaths this year has been "phenomenal".

Looking at the basic statistics, there's a very clear upward trend. Nick prepares obituaries for BBC television, radio and online, that run once a notable person's death is confirmed. The number of his obituaries used across BBC outlets in recent years has leaped considerably. It's a jump from only five between January and late March 2012 to a staggering 24 in the same period this year - an almost five-fold increase. And that's before counting some of the notable deaths in April, including American singer Merle Haggard, the former drug smuggler Howard Marks and this week's two notable departures. But might it just be that the BBC has increased its store of obituaries to such an extent it means plenty more are being used?

Prince performs at the Apollo Theater in New York.
Click to expand...

There are indeed more obituaries in the BBC's files - some 1,500 in total - than when Nick started 10 years ago, he says. He adds a few more every week. But look elsewhere and the picture bears out. Here in the UK, the Daily Telegraph maintains a gallery of famous people who have died, and updates it throughout the year. Up to this time in 2014, the number of those in the gallery was 38. By this time last year, the number of people in the gallery was 30. This year, the number is already 75. At the beginning of every year, the (rather morbid) website deathlist.net lists 50 celebrities it believes may pass away that year. In six of the last 10 years, two or fewer of its predictions had come true by this time - this year, five names have died so far. This all invites the question: why?

There are a few reasons, Nick Serpell says. "People who started becoming famous in the 1960s are now entering their 70s and are starting to die," he says. "There are also more famous people than there used to be," he says. "In my father or grandfather's generation, the only famous people really were from cinema - there was no television. "Then, if anybody wasn't on TV, they weren't famous."

The baby-boom factor[/quote]

clarkeT · Apr 22, 2016

Deckel said: ↑

Some outlets are now reporting that his "flu" a week ago was a drug overdose.
Click to expand...

And some outlets have no integrity whatsoever. At least have the common decency to wait until an autopsy report is released before trying to besmirch the man.

waltky · Apr 22, 2016

'No sign' Prince's death was suicide...

Prince death: 'No sign' it was suicide, sheriff says
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - There is "no reason to believe" that Prince's death was suicide, a sheriff in Minnesota says after a post-mortem which suggests he died alone.

There is "no reason to believe" that Prince's death was suicide, the sheriff of the Minnesota county where the singer had his home has said after a post-mortem examination. There was no sign of trauma on the body, Sheriff Jim Olson said, suggesting the singer had died alone. Prince, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate on Thursday. Fans have been wearing purple, the colour associated with the musician who sold more than 100m records. His innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He was at his peak in the 1980s with albums like Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign O' The Times.

The sheriff warned that full results from the post-mortem could take several weeks, and the incident was still under investigation. Mr Olson said it was not unusual for there to be no one in the residence except Prince. The singer was last seen at about 20:00 on Wednesday night (01:00 GMT on Thursday) and was found unconscious by some of his staff at about 09:30 the next morning. Prince had been rushed to hospital in Illinois six days earlier, while flying home from a concert in Georgia, but was treated and released a few hours later.

Samples to be taken

Quoting unnamed sources, US entertainment news site TMZ reports that Prince was treated in Illinois for an overdose of the painkiller drug Percocet. Declining to give details of the preliminary findings, medical examiner spokesperson Martha Weaver said a full set of tests would be done on the body, involving tissue and blood samples. Earlier, she announced that the body would be released to the family on Friday. Sheriff Olson confirmed police were in contact with Prince's family. "We have no reason to believe at this point that this was a suicide," he said, then added, "but again, this is early on in the investigation and we're continuing to investigate."

He spoke of Prince as a good member of the community and said he had been a "friend to [his staff] as well as being an employer". Fans have set up impromptu memorials in his home town Minneapolis and in New York. In London, US President Barack Obama said he and the US ambassador began the day by listening to Prince's hit Purple Rain and Delirious before attending bilateral meetings. Prince had spoken about struggling with childhood epilepsy, the Associated Press reports, and friends say he had hip trouble. His former percussionist, Sheila E, told the news agency Prince had suffered the effects of years of jumping off risers and speakers on stage while wearing high heels. "There was always something kind of bothering him, as it does all of us," she said. "I hurt every single day. You know we're like athletes, we train, and we get hurt all the time. We have so many injuries."

MORE
Click to expand...

See also:

Princes body showed no signs of trauma; cause of death still unknown
April 22, 2016 : A four-hour autopsy was performed on Prince on Friday, but authorities said they are no closer to determining how the iconic musician died. It was a meticulous exam, said Martha Weaver, spokeswoman for the Midwest Medical Examiners Office.

Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson, whose officers responded to a 911 call at Princes Paisley Park estate Thursday morning, said the artists body showed no signs of trauma. There was no sign of violence, Olson said at a Friday afternoon news conference. Nor do investigators have reason to believe it was suicide, he said. The rest of it is under investigation.

Flowers lay on a T-shirt signed by fans of singer Prince at a makeshift memorial place created outside Apollo Theater in New York

Prince Rogers Nelson, 57, was last seen alive at his sprawling compound in Chanhassen, a suburb of Minneapolis, about 8 p.m. Wednesday, the sheriff said. He had been dropped off there at Paisley Park, Olson said. Staff members at the estate found the singer unconscious in an elevator on the property at about 9:43 a.m. Thursday. Olson said first responders tried to perform CPR on Prince, but could not revive him. Authorities pronounced him deceased 24 minutes later, but it is not yet known how long he might have been dead.

A law enforcement officer and an employee are seen outside of Paisley Park, music superstar Prince's estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Even though the physical autopsy is finished, officials say it could take several days to weeks before Princes manner of death is confirmed and made public. The longest delay will be for the results of toxicology testing. It will take days and weeks to complete those particular investigations, Weaver said. The sheriff declined to address speculation that Princes death was caused by a reported abuse of prescription pain pills. Im not able to confirm that at this time at all, Olson said. There have been so many rumors out that Ive read about. I dont know if I can dispel all the rumors that are out there.

MORE
Click to expand...

waltky · Apr 23, 2016

Why did Prince change his name?

Why did Prince change his name to a symbol?
Fri, 22 Apr 2016 - When Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, it was treated as nothing more than a bizarre stunt. But some say it reveals more about his legacy as a business innovator.

When Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, it was regarded as both rebellious and foolhardy. Why did he do it? For a generation too young to remember his debut in the late 1970s or the impact of Purple Rain in 1984, Prince - who died yesterday - was perhaps best known as the musician who changed his name to a symbol. In 1993, Prince announced that he would no longer go by the name Prince, but rather by a "Love Symbol" which was a mash-up of the gender symbols for man and woman. "It is an unpronounceable symbol whose meaning has not been identified. It's all about thinking in new ways, tuning in 2 a new free-quency," he wrote in a statement at the time.

According to Neal Karlen, a former Rolling Stone writer who was one of the few journalists the late musician gave access to, together they wrote up a full explanation for the name change to bury in a time capsule at Prince's Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. "So he said," cautions Karlen. "I never went for any ground break." The controversial decision was derided as "crazy" and "ridiculous". Record sales declined. It presented all kinds of logistical challenges for the media, resulting in the clumsy title, "Artist Formerly Known As Prince". So why did he do it?

Prince holds a guitar shaped like the symbol that he took as his name in 1993

The symbol was a rebellion against Prince's record label, Warner Bros. He first signed with the company back in 1977 when he was still a teenager, and together they produced some of his most famous titles, including Purple Rain and Sign O the Times. But after inking a new deal in the early 1990s, Prince chafed under the company's rigid production schedule. A prolific songwriter, he wanted to release material as soon as it was ready - he had 500 unreleased songs in his famous studio vault. But Warner Bros refused, believing it would saturate the market and dilute demand for the artist's music. "He felt the contracts at the time were onerous and burdensome," says John Kellogg, assistant chair of the music business management department at Berklee College of Music. "He rebelled against that."

Prince compared his contractual obligations to slavery, and began performing with the word "SLAVE" on his cheek. He saw his own name as a part of his contractual entrapment. "Warner Bros took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing took to promote all of the music I wrote," Prince once said in a press release. "The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros." In 2000, after the contract expired, Prince went back to using his old name, which Kellogg says also freed him to innovate new ways of making money as an independent artist. "What a lot of people don't understand is that Prince was not only one of the greatest creative musical talents of the 20th Century, but he was also one of the greatest music business innovators of the last century," he says.

Prince produced music on his own independent label, he bundled exclusive LPs with concert tickets and newspapers. He became one of the first artists to sell an album online, and won a Webby Lifetime Achievement award for "visionary use of the Internet to distribute music". In 2015, when he announced that he would be releasing new music exclusively with Jay Z's streaming service Tidal, he repeated the same "slavery" comparison that he'd used back in the early 1990s. "Record contracts are just like - I'm gonna say the word - slavery," he said, according to Rolling Stone. "I would tell any young artist...don't sign."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36107590
Click to expand...

See also:

Five strange stories about mysterious Prince
Thu, 21 Apr 2016 - Was it true that Prince didn't believe in time?

Prince, who has died at his home in Minnesota, was known for his cross-genre pop music and multiple reinventions - but it was also the sense of mystery around the man that delighted his fans. As he rarely gave interviews, rumours about Prince flourished, and the star even admitted to teasing journalists because he wanted them to concentrate on his music. But the myths that arose also added to the enigma generated by his sexual ambiguity, outlandish performances and eccentric name changes. Perhaps most surprising was that some of the most outrageous stories about him were actually true.

1) He went without sleep

Prince was famous for being a workaholic and tireless music-obsessive, who produced nearly 40 studio albums and dozens of other recordings over a period of nearly 40 years. He was so dedicated that he is reported to have often stayed awake for days when in the studio working on early albums. The artist appeared to confirm the rumours in an interview in 1985, when he said: "There's not a person around who can stay awake as long as I can. "Music is what keeps me awake."

VERDICT: True

2) He knocked on doors for Jehovah's Witnesses

His friend and mentor Larry Graham, former bassist with the band Sly and the Family Stone, introduced Prince to the Jehovah's Witnesses in around 2001. "I don't see it really as a conversion. More, you know, it's a realisation," Prince told the New Yorker magazine in 2008. "It's like Morpheus and Neo in 'The Matrix.'" He began attending meetings at a local Kingdom Hall and, like his fellow Witnesses, knocked on doors from time to time to preach the religion's beliefs, according to the report. "Sometimes people act surprised, but mostly they're really cool about it," he said.

VERDICT: True

3) He did not believe in time

It might seem like a myth, but Prince long spoke about his view that time was a trick. In an interview with Dutch television in 1999, he said he had begun exploring that idea when he recorded his apocalyptic song 1999 in 1984. His views almost meant he did not believe in birthdays. "I don't celebrate birthdays" he said. "It stops me from counting days, which stops me from counting time, which allows me to still look the same as I did 10 years ago." It is a belief he came back to in later interviews, telling the Guardian in 2011 that he did not age because "time is a mind construct... It's not real."

VERDICT: True

4) He needed hip surgery

Along with high heels and flamboyant shirts, walking sticks were a feature of Prince's wardrobe from the early 1990s, but reports of hip problems emerged around 2005. He was said to have been planning secret surgery, but in 2009 the showbiz journalist Roger Friedman wrote that the star had refused a double hip replacement because his faith as a Jehovah's Witness did not allow blood transfusions. Another journalist said after a 2010 interview that it was clear from the singer's "agility" on the dancefloor that the rumours that he needed double hip surgery were "unfounded". But in the absence of official comment from the artist or his representatives, and Prince continuing to carry canes in public appearances, the story re-emerged in media reports as recently as this year.

VERDICT: Unclear

5) He painted his house purple

Fan sites are full of weird and wonderful stories, including claims Prince decorated his room as a teenager with mirrors and rabbit fur. Who knows? More widely documented were allegations he painted his rented home in Los Angeles purple in 2006. His landlord at the time, basketball star Carlos Boozer, sued the singer for unauthorised work, claiming he had painted the exterior of the house with purple stripes and his "Love Symbol", and installed monogrammed carpeting. Lawyers for the star argued that Boozer had collected his rent without complaint, and the lawsuit was dismissed.

VERDICT: Probably true

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36059247
Click to expand...

FreedomSeeker · Apr 23, 2016

Drugs were the problem: http://video.foxnews.com/v/48584893...-taking-percocet/?intcmp=hpvid1#sp=show-clips

waltky · Apr 23, 2016

Suicide ruled out in Prince's death...

Police rule out suicide in pop icon Prince’s death, claim no signs of trauma found
Saturday 23rd April, 2016 - Revealing details of an investigation in to the death of pop icon Prince, Sheriff Jim Olsen has issued a statement claiming that there were no signs of trauma on the musicians’ body.

Addressing a press conference in Carver County, Minnesota, Olsen further added that there was no reason to believe that Prince’s death was a suicide. Reports had revealed that flamboyant pop musician Prince was found dead at his Paisley Park elevator in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen on April 21 Olsen reportedly stated that the fire, rescue and ambulance responded to the 911 call and found Prince unresponsive at his residence. He was later announced dead roughly 30 minutes later. Olsen reiterated that three staff members made the call after they weren't able to get a hold of Prince and went to Paisley Park to check on him. Deputies went through the building to make sure no one else inside.

In his statement, Olsen said, “This incident happened about 29 hours ago and it is still under investigation." Reports stated that Olsen claimed to have no information regarding a possible drug overdose. He however said, “We will be talking to people close to him, gathering medical records and working from there here.” Olsen added that a search warrant will be filed to further investigate the premises, while also revealing that somebody dropped Prince off at home about 8 pm the night prior to being found. He also added that since Prince was “a very private person,” it was not unusual for him to be by himself.

Reports stated that Prince's autopsy was completed at the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office by Chief Medical Examiner Dr A Quinn Strobl. His body would now be released to the family. Olson is said to have stated that his office will be working with three or four other police agencies on the case.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/...n-prince-death-claim-no-signs-of-trauma-found
Click to expand...

See also:

Prince cremated in private ceremony
Sun, 24 Apr 2016 - Prince has been cremated with a small, private service for family, friends and musicians, his publicist confirms.

The cause of his death is still unknown and the results of Friday's autopsy could take at least four weeks. Prince, 57, was found dead in a lift on his Paisley Park estate on Thursday, where fans are still paying tributes. Officials said there was no sign of trauma on the body and no indication the death was suicide. Publicist Anna Meacham said the singer's "final storage" would be kept private. "A few hours ago, Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved: family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye," she said.

A woman writes on memorial sheet adorned with the symbol Prince once used to identify himself outside Paisley Park

Among the people who attended the ceremony were percussionist Sheila E, bassist Larry Graham and Prince's sister Tyka Nelson. Prince's innovative music spanned rock, funk and jazz. He was at his peak in the 1980s with albums like Dirty Mind, 1999 and Sign O' The Times. He sold more than 100m records. The singer was last seen at about 20:00 on Wednesday night (01:00 GMT on Thursday) and was found unconscious by some of his staff at about 09:30 the next morning. Prince had been rushed to hospital in Illinois six days earlier, while flying home from a concert in Georgia, but was treated and released a few hours later. Quoting unnamed sources, US entertainment news site TMZ reported that Prince was treated in Illinois for an overdose of the painkiller drug Percocet.

Born Prince Rogers Nelson in 1958, he was a prolific writer and performer from a young age - reportedly writing his first song when he was seven. He was also an arranger and multi-instrumentalist, and recorded more than 30 albums. Hits included Let's Go Crazy and When Doves Cry. In 1984, he won an Oscar for the score to Purple Rain, a film in which he also starred. Throughout his career he had a reputation for secrecy and eccentricity, once changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol. Prince's latest album, HITnRUN Phase Two, was released last year and he had been touring as recently as this month.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36122711
Click to expand...

waltky · Apr 25, 2016

Granny says musta been one helluva meth binge...

Prince did not sleep for six days before death - brother-in-law
Monday 25th April, 2016 - Prince appeared "pale" and "weak" during one of his last public appearances, it has been claimed, amid reports the music superstar stayed awake for 154 hours before his death.

Employees at Electric Fetus record shop in Minneapolis said the musician did not look "in the best shape" when he visited the store five days before he was found at his Paisley Park estate. Prince's brother-in-law Maurice Phillips reportedly claimed the singer had worked for six days without sleep when friends and family held a private service at the compound on Saturday. Mr Phillips, who is married to Prince's sister Tyka Nelson, is said to have told fans outside Paisley Park: "He worked 154 hours straight. I was with him just last weekend. He was a good brother-in-law."

Prince is said to have worked for 154 hours without sleep before his death

Max Timander, who works at Electric Fetus, said Prince visited a day after the Purple Rain star was rushed to hospital when his plane made an emergency landing in Atlanta, Georgia. Celebrity news website TMZ reported that he had overdosed on a painkiller called Percocet at the time. Mr Timander told the Press Association: "Everyone I've talked to on that Saturday said he looked kind of pale and he was not totally looking in the best shape as he normally is. "It sounded like he was looking kind of weak. I know he had just got over the flu supposedly."

The mayor of Chanhassen, the city which is home to Paisley Park, said discussions were taking place to stage a public service in honour of Prince in the Minneapolis area. "It's clear his friends and family would support the idea," Denny Laufenburger said. A private funeral service at a local church is expected to take place in early May, he added.

MORE
Click to expand...

See also:

All-Prince top five in midweek chart
Mon, 25 Apr 2016 - Pop star Prince holds the top five positions on the UK's midweek album chart, five days after his sudden death at the age of 57.

The musician holds every spot in the top five in the midweek chart update, with 16 albums set to enter the top 100 the Official Chart Company says. His 2001 retrospective The Very Best Of is at number one, followed by the 2006 collection Ultimate. Purple Rain is at three, followed by The Hits / The B-Sides and 1987's double album Sign O' The Times. Six of Prince's hits are also due to re-enter the singles chart, led by Purple Rain which is currently at number two. The song reached Number eight upon its original release in 1984, meaning the song could hit a new peak on Friday's Official Chart. The rock legend died suddenly last Thursday at the age of 57.

Even though last week's chart was compiled mere hours after the news was announced, the Ultimate compilation rocketed to tenth place in the countdown, with 5,389 sales. In the US, The Very Best of Prince and Purple Rain took the number one and two spot respectively in the Billboard chart, outselling the rest of the market in less than 24 hours. Such sales were undoubtedly spurred by Prince's absence from streaming services. The star's catalogue is only available to stream on Tidal, while he relentlessly pursued people who illegally uploaded his material to sites like SoundCloud, Daily Motion and YouTube. "I have a team of female black lawyers who keep an eye on such transgressions," Prince once said. "And you know they're sharp."

Prince performs at Coachella in 2008

Prince died at his Paisley Park home near Minneapolis last week, after reports he was suffering with flu. He was found in an unresponsive state in a lift on the first floor of his home. Emergency service personnel performed CPR, but were unable to revive him. The star was pronounced dead at the scene. Details of the post-mortem examination have yet to be released, but his body was released to his family on Friday afternoon and he was cremated on Saturday. Thousands of fans have flocked to Paisley Park, the First Avenue nightclub, and other sites made famous by Prince since his death, while tributes have come from Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake and President Obama, amongst others.

Eric Clapton said Prince had helped him battle depression and drug addiction in the 1980s, calling him "a light in the darkness". "I was out on the road in a massive downward spiral with drink and drugs," he wrote on Facebook. "I saw Purple Rain in a cinema in Canada, I had no idea who he was, it was like a bolt of lightning! In the middle of my depression, and the dreadful state of the music culture at that time it gave me hope." Justin Timberlake added: "He's somewhere within every song I've ever written." Meanwhile, US comedy show Saturday Night Live dedicated this weekend's edition to the star, broadcasting archive performances and footage of an invitation-only concert he gave for the programme's 40th Anniversary. The NFL also uploaded the star's memorable, rain-drenched SuperBowl concert to YouTube for the first time since it aired in 2004.

Memorial and museum
Click to expand...

clarkeT · Apr 25, 2016

FreedomSeeker said: ↑

Drugs were the problem: http://video.foxnews.com/v/48584893...-taking-percocet/?intcmp=hpvid1#sp=show-clips
Click to expand...

Sources? Really? The only 'source' that counts is the coroner. Not media vultures at Fox or TMZ. When his report is 'published' then, and only then, we will know the official cause of the death of Prince.

FreedomSeeker · Apr 25, 2016

waltky said: ↑

Granny says musta been one helluva meth binge...

Prince did not sleep for six days before death - brother-in-law
Monday 25th April, 2016 - Prince appeared "pale" and "weak" during one of his last public appearances, it has been claimed, amid reports the music superstar stayed awake for 154 hours before his death.
Click to expand...

Will people condemn his drug use, or give drugs a pass?
Drugs destroy lives.

FoxHastings · Apr 25, 2016

FreedomSeeker said: ↑

Will people condemn his drug use, or give drugs a pass?
Drugs destroy lives.
Click to expand...

Would it matter? He's dead.

clarkeT · Apr 26, 2016

FreedomSeeker said: ↑

Will people condemn his drug use, or give drugs a pass?
Drugs destroy lives.
Click to expand...

Will the media and people wait until the coroner's report is released before making judgements? And if drug use is listed as a cause of death will people wait until they have the facts surrounding the use of drugs? There are many reasons they 'could' have played a part in a person's death. Accidental overdose of a prescribed medication or drug. An allergic (fatal) reaction to a prescribed medication or drug. Who knows at this point.

People and the freakin' media should STOP making assumptions until ALL the facts are known.

Log in or Sign up

Singer Prince Dead at 57

E_Pluribus_Venom Well-Known Member

MMC Well-Known Member

catalinacat Well-Known Member Past Donor

MMC Well-Known Member

LibChik Well-Known Member

Phoebe Bump New Member

MMC Well-Known Member

MMC Well-Known Member

MMC Well-Known Member

RPA1 Well-Known Member Past Donor

Herkdriver New Member

MMC Well-Known Member

Shelly Ann Active Member

Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

waltky Well-Known Member

clarkeT Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

FreedomSeeker Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

clarkeT Well-Known Member

FreedomSeeker Well-Known Member

FoxHastings Well-Known Member

clarkeT Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Singer Prince Dead at 57

E_Pluribus_Venom Well-Known Member

MMC Well-Known Member

catalinacat Well-Known Member Past Donor

MMC Well-Known Member

LibChik Well-Known Member

Phoebe Bump New Member

MMC Well-Known Member

MMC Well-Known Member

MMC Well-Known Member

RPA1 Well-Known Member Past Donor

Herkdriver New Member

MMC Well-Known Member

Shelly Ann Active Member

Deckel Well-Known Member Past Donor

waltky Well-Known Member

clarkeT Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

FreedomSeeker Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

waltky Well-Known Member

clarkeT Well-Known Member

FreedomSeeker Well-Known Member

FoxHastings Well-Known Member

clarkeT Well-Known Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches