MINNEAPOLIS – The artist known as Prince, who pioneered "the Minneapolis sound" and took on the music industry in his fight for creative freedom, died Thursday at the age of 57, according to his publicist.
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"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57," said Yvette Noel-Schure.
Sheriff's officials said deputies found Prince unresponsive in an elevator after they were summoned to his suburban Minneapolis compound.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said first responders tried CPR but couldn't revive him. Olson said Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Thursday, about half an hour after deputies arrived.
His cause of death is not known, and the death remains under investigation.
Earlier this month, Prince said he wasn't feeling well, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and canceled at least one concert in the city. Some days later, he took the stage in Atlanta to perform. After that concert, the singer's plane made an emergency landing, Noel-Schure told CNN. At the time she said, "He is fine and at home."
Reaction is pouring in from fans and celebrities.
[PHOTOS: Prince through the years | REACTION: Music world mourns]
Many celebrities took to Twitter to express their sadness Thursday. Basketball star Magic Johnson wrote that he was "so devastated by the passing of my good friend Prince."
Director Spike Lee remembered Prince as "A Funny Cat" with a "Great Sense of Humor."
The Rev. Jesse Jackson praised Prince for fighting for the freedom of artists and for himself, recalling the rocker's skirmishes with the recording industry. Jackson says Price "was a transformer."
Prince won seven Grammy Awards, and earned 30 nominations. Five of his singles topped the charts and 14 other songs hit the Top 10. He won an Oscar for the original song score to the classic film "Purple Rain."
The singer's predilection for lavishly kinky story-songs earned him the nickname, His Royal Badness. He is also known as the "Purple One" because of his colorful fashions.
Controversy followed the singer and that, in part, made his fans adore him more. "Darling Nikki," a song that details a one-night stand, prompted the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center. Led by Al Gore's then wife, Tipper, the group encouraged record labels to place advisory labels on albums with explicit lyrics.
He left his imprint on so many aspects of popular culture from film to movies to sports to politics. As the Minnesota Vikings prepped to take on the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 NFC championship game, Prince wrote a fight song entitled "Purple and Gold" to inspire his home team. The Vikings lost. He was the half-time performer at the Super Bowl in 2007.
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Last year while addressing the unrest following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody in Baltimore, Prince released the song "Baltimore." He performed at a benefit concert in the city and gave a portion of the proceeds to youth groups in Baltimore.
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Sales of Prince's music have soared since news broke of the pop star's death.
Three of his songs -- "Purple Rain," "Little Red Corvette," and "When Doves Cry," -- surged to 7th, 9th and 10th on iTunes' Top Songs chart.
Four of his albums -- "The Very Best of Prince," "Purple Rain," "The Hits / The B-Sides," and "1999" -- jumped to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 8th on iTunes' Top Albums chart by Thursday afternoon.
The singer was averse to streaming, however. A Spotify spokesman said Prince's catalog is not on the music service. His artist page on Spotify says: "Prince's publisher has asked all streaming services to remove his catalog." It's not clear when the songs were removed.
A Warner Music spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the latest state of his contract with the record label.
Timeline of Prince's Career | PrettyFamous
Prince's Most Played Songs on Last.fm | PrettyFamous