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Music icon Prince dies at age 57
Wikimedia Commons
Prince Rogers Nelson was pronounced dead today at 10:07 a.m. after collapsing in an elevator almost half an hour earlier. “As a Minnesotan, I can say that all Minnesotans were proud that Prince stayed in Minnesota and never left despite his world success,” upper school college counselor Martin Walsh said.
April 21, 2016
Musician Prince, known worldwide as an innovator and one of the most iconic, original and influential performers of his generation, died yesterday in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minn. He was 57.
According to reports released by the Carver County police, emergency medical workers rushed to the scene after a 911 call at 9:43 a.m. CT, but were unable to revive Prince after the singer did not respond to CPR. He was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m.
A week before his death, Prince had given a public performance at the Fox Theater in Atlanta to make up for shows originally scheduled for April 7. He was also briefly hospitalized in Moline, Ill. on Friday to receive treatment for his flu.
In Minneapolis, fans commemorated Prince’s death by participating in an all-night Prince sing-along held at First Street in downtown Minneapolis and putting flowers in the fence around the singer’s house.
“As a Minnesotan, I can say that all Minnesotans were proud that Prince stayed in Minnesota and never left despite his world success,” upper school college counselor Martin Walsh said.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota also paid tribute to Prince and released a statement about the artist’s influence on her life.
“I grew up with Prince’s music. He was a superstar composer, an amazing performer and a music innovator with a fierce belief in the independence of his art,” Klobuchar said. “He made ‘Purple Rain’ a household name, First Avenue a landmark, and brought international fame to Minnesota’s music scene.”
Many buildings, including the Los Angeles City Hall, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans and the spire of the Melbourne Arts Center, lit up in purple in honor of Prince and his sixth album, Purple Rain. The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced that the Lowry Avenue and Interstate-35W Bridges would shine with purple lights on Friday evening.
Prince, who grew up in Minneapolis, began his musical career at the age of 16 when Pepe Willie of the Minneapolis funk group 94 East hired Prince to record guitar tracks for the band. He later signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. a year later and released his first album, For You, in 1978.
“He really kept his roots in Minnesota and would preview some of his music at First Street, and he continued to do that even now when he got to be an enormous star,” upper school nurse Clare Elchert, who previously lived in Minneapolis before moving to California in 1997, said. “This is a great loss for talent.”
An innovative artist, Prince revolutionized the music industry with his unique blend of R&B, soul, funk, rock and hip-hop as well as his efforts towards pushing for fair relationships between musicians and their managers.
“I really admire Prince for the work he did for the business side of the industry; he got into a fight with his record label over royalties for his records and when the lawsuit got settled, he won the rights to all of his music and he formed his own label,” upper school English teacher Ohad Paran said. “This was before Napster and during that time, it was really hard for artists to do that.”
Prince leaves behind his legacy as the “pioneer of Minneapolis sound” and one of the best-selling artists of all time, with seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award among his many honors.
