Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson was the rare pop artist to command a number-one film, album and single at the same time. In 1984, Purple Rain, its soundtrack and “When Doves Cry” put him at the center of American popular music, while the album, recorded with the Revolution, spent 24 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958, Prince built a body of work that moved between funk, rock, pop, soul and R&B while helping define the Minneapolis sound.

Prince signed with Warner Bros. Records at 18 and released his debut album, For You, two years later. He earned critical success with Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982), before the commercial breakthrough of Purple Rain. “Kiss” later reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. After disbanding the Revolution, he released his first solo double LP, Sign o’ the Times, in 1987, an album widely regarded as his greatest work. His career also included acting, dancing and filmmaking.

A dispute with Warner Bros. led Prince to adopt an unpronounceable symbol as his stage name in 1993, commonly known as the Love Symbol. During that period he was widely called the Artist Formerly Known as Prince, or simply the Artist. After signing with Arista Records in 1999, he returned to the name Prince in 2000. His later releases included Musicology (2004), which won two Grammy Awards. He released 39 albums during his lifetime and left a substantial body of unreleased material.

Prince died on April 21, 2016, aged 57, at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. His death was caused by an accidental overdose of counterfeit hydrocodone/paracetamol pills laced with fentanyl. His honors include the Grammy President’s Merit Award, American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. He entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2024, and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame twice in 2022.