CHANHASSEN, Minn. -- Prince, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of modern times with hits including "Little Red Corvette," "Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead at his home on Thursday in suburban Minneapolis. He was 57.
His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, said that the superstar "died at his home this morning at Paisley Park." The Carver County sheriff's office said deputies found Prince unresponsive in an elevator late Thursday morning after being summoned to his home but that first-responders couldn't revive him.
No details about what may have caused his death have been released. Prince postponed a concert in Atlanta on April 7, after coming down with the flu, and he apologized to fans during a makeup concert last week.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama released a statement saying he and his wife "joined millions of fans from around the world" in mourning Prince's sudden death.
"Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent," said Obama, for whom Prince was a White House guest last year. "'A strong spirit transcends rules,' Prince once said -- and nobody's spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative."
The talented and charismatic singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist drew upon musicians ranging from James Brown to Jimi Hendrix to the Beatles, creating a widely imitated blend of rock, funk and soul.
The Minneapolis native broke through in the late 1970s with the hits "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and soared over the following decade with such albums as 1999 and Purple Rain. The title song from 1999 includes one of the most quoted refrains of popular culture: "Tonight I'm gonna party like it's 1999."
Born Prince Rogers Nelson, he stood just 5 feet, 2 inches -- yet made a powerful visual impact at the dawn of MTV, from his wispy mustache and tall pompadour to his colorful and suggestive outfits.
He was equally powerful musically, summoning original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that drew on Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto, or turning out album after album of stunningly original material.
He was also fiercely protective of his independence, battling his record company over control of his material -- and even his name, for a time insisting that he be called "TAFKAP," or The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, and identified with a keylike symbol.
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."
Music was in his blood. Prince's father played in a jazz band in Minneapolis, under the name "Prince Rogers," and his mother was the singer. Prince taught himself to play the piano at age 7, the guitar at 13 and the drums at 14. In 1978, the year he turned 20, Prince debuted with the album For You. He wrote and sang the material, and served as his own one-man band on guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers, chimes and assorted other instruments.
He also proved a source of hits for others, from Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine" to "Manic Monday" for the Bangles.
Prince had been touring and recording right up until his death, releasing four albums in the past 18 months, including two on the Tidal streaming service last year. He performed in Atlanta last week as part of his Piano and a Microphone tour.
The musician had seemed to be shedding his reclusive reputation. He hosted several late-night jam sessions where he serenaded Madonna, celebrated the Minnesota Lynx's WNBA championship and showcased his latest protege, singer Judith Hill.
Information for this report was contributed by David Bauder, Paul Newberry and Steve Karnowski, all of the Associated Press.
A Section on 04/22/2016