140 million people tuned in to watch Prince rock out to a purple-lit performance of “Purple Rain” (in an epic coincidence it was raining in Miami that day).
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Last Friday, he was briefly hospitalized with the flu after his plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, celebrity news website TMZ said.
Prince’s offering to the Vikings, a three-minute, 41-second anthem titled “Purple and Gold”, was penned at Paisley Park Studios in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen shortly after the Vikings’ 34-3 win against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 NFC divisional playoffs. “You can’t even calculate the impact on what he did for pop music, for pop culture, for fashion”, Leah Greenblatt with Entertainment Weekly told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos. “There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time”.
After performing their then-current hit, “Just a Kiss”, the group segued unexpectedly into Prince’s “Kiss”, to the delight of the crowd.
Singer Katy Perry also paid tribute to the musician, writing: “And just like that…the world lost a lot of magic”.
Jason Kamerud, Carver County chief sheriff’s deputy, tells the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the investigation began on Thursday morning. In 1984, his album “Purple Rain” became his first No. 1 record, according to Billboard.
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.
In this 1980 file photo Prince performs in downtown Minneapolis.
The sheriff’s office said it was investigating the circumstances.
Prince debuted the intimate format at his Paisley Park studios in January, treating fans to a performance that was personal and both playful and emotional at times. Ironically, the first single was called “My Name is Prince”.
Prince won an Oscar for best original song score for Purple Rain, the 1984 movie whose music was based on his album of the same name.
Prince also removed most of his music from Spotify and other subscription streaming services.
The star was taken to hospital last week after suffering from a case of influenza after a show in Atlanta, which is now his last performance.
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“‘A strong spirit transcends rules, ‘ Prince once said – and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative”.
