“As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all”. ” ‘A strong spirit transcends rules, ‘ Prince once said – and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative”.
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Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park Studios compound, which included his home, in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen, according to the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.
He was equally powerful musically, summoning original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that drew on Jimi Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto, or turning out album after album of stunningly original material.
Prince’s sound merged funk, R&B, soul, gospel, rock, glam, punk and more.
Prince, who defined the sound of the ’80s with songs like “Kiss” and “Purple Rain” and defied the music industry in a fight for creative freedom, died Thursday. “From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative”.
“Prince made music. Period.” said Tony Pallagorsi, a Jersey music promoter and a former member of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.
About 50 to 60 people were standing on the sidewalk outside First Avenue on afternoon to mourn the death of the musician, who died hours earlier Prince received an Academy Award in 1985 for his music from Purple Rain, the movie in which he starred as a young musician.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 2004.
The singer, who was just 5ft 2in, was also seen as an eccentric with a tendency towards freakish career moves, such as changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in the 1990s.
He was fiercely protective of his independence, battling his record company over control of his material and even his name. He started to become known then as the “Artist Formerly Known as Prince”.
“What’s happening now is the position that I’ve always wanted to be in”, Prince told the AP in 2014.
“I just do what I feel I’m supposed to do”.
But as he headed back home to Minnesota, Prince made an unexpected stop.
Born in Minneapolis as Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, he is said to have written his first song at age seven.
The meeting with the handful of reporters was never recorded because phones and cameras were not allowed at Paisley Park, but those who met Prince Rogers Nelson that night will remember the soft-spoken, welcoming person who opened his home to so many.
“Our hearts are greatly sadden upon hearing of the passing of Prince”.
Scottish singer Sheena Easton, who cast aside her squeaky clean image to feature on his song U Got The Look, and was a rumoured romantic interest, said: “It is impossible to imagine him not being here”.
Steven Scott, 32, of Eden Prairie, said he was at Paisley Park last Saturday for Prince’s dance party.
He reached the peak of his fame in 1982 with the release of his album 1999 and hits including Little Red Corvette, Purple Rain, Raspberry Beret, and When Doves Cry. The sprawling white, stone building is surrounded by a fence in Chanhassen, about 20 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Prince threw a 10 p.m. dance party at Paisley Park as a thank you for the good weather, love and support, he tweeted.
“We love you Prince!” read a sign attached to one of the bouquets.
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When it comes to the decision of securing the rights and showing the movie, Cinema Detroit’s Paula Guthat said “I thought it was the right thing to do” on a post on Facebook.
