Prince Dead at 57
Prince has died at age 57, his publicist Yvette Noel-Schure told the AP. Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the singer, songwriter, multiple instrumentalist, producer and actor was recognized as a musical genius, trend setter and advocate for artists’ rights. His indelible impact on pop music culture dates back to when he first surfaced in 1978 with his debut album "For You." The singer, who was on his "Piano and a Microphone" tour," also had to cancel two shows earlier in the month due to the flu. The "Purple Rain" singer's last performance was Thursday night in Atlanta. His early albums -- 1979’s "Prince," 1980’s "Dirty Mind" and 1981’s "Controversy" -- built his core fan base while also creating controversial buzz due to their fusion of religious and sexual themes. The 1984 semi-autobiographical rock musical drama film "Purple Rain" –- and its best-selling soundtrack -- vaulted him into the pop stratosphere. The film won the now-defunct Best Original Song Score award at the Oscars and the album was his best-selling one, amassing sales of over 25 million copies. Through his career, Prince won seven Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. SUBSCRIBE to ABC NEWS: www.youtube.com/ABCNews/ Watch More on abcnews.go.com/ LIKE ABC News on FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/abcnews FOLLOW ABC News on TWITTER: twitter.com/abc GOOD MORNING AMERICA'S HOMEPAGE: gma.yahoo.com/
