Prince 

American musician Prince achieved worldwide fame in the 1980s

with '1999' and 'Purple Rain,' the latter album also serving as the
soundtrack for the popular film of the same name.
Who Was Prince?
Prince's early music career saw the release of Prince, Dirty
Mind and Controversy, which drew attention for their fusion of religious
and sexual themes. He then released the popular
albums 1999 and Purple Rain, cementing his superstar status with No. 1
hits like "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy." A seven-time Grammy
winner, Prince had a prodigious output that included later albums
like Diamonds and Pearls, The Gold Experience and Musicology. He died
on April 21, 2016, from an accidental drug overdose.

Early Life
Famed singer, songwriter and musical innovator Prince was born Prince
Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents
were John Nelson, a musician whose stage name was Prince Rogers,
and Mattie Shaw, a jazz singer who performed with the Prince Rogers
Band.

Prince became interested in music at a young age and taught himself

how to play the piano, guitar and drums. His parents broke up when he
was about 10, and he and his sister split their time between their parents’
homes. He eventually ran away and moved in with neighbors, the
Anderson family. In high school, Prince formed the band Grand Central
(later known as Champagne) with André Anderson (who later changed
his name to André Cymone) and Morris Day.

In 1978, Prince was signed to Warner Bros. Records. In a 2009 interview

with Tavis Smiley, Prince revealed that when he was a child, he suffered
from epileptic seizures and that he was teased in school. He told Smiley,
"Early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy and as noisy
as I could." 
The '80s: 'Purple Rain' and Beyond
With his band the Revolution, Prince went on to create the classic
album Purple Rain (1984), which also served as the soundtrack to the film
of the same name, grossing almost $70 million at the U.S. box office. Co-
starring Apollonia Kotero and Day, the movie garnered an Academy
Award for Best Original Song Score.

Its melancholy title track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, while
the hits "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" both reached No. 1.
While "Crazy" readily joined the pantheon of wild, electrifying rock songs,
"Doves Cry" had one-of-a-kind signatures, displaying an otherworldly
meld of electronic and funk elements without a traditional chorus. The
soundtrack offered two other hits: "I Would Die 4 U" and "Take Me With
U." Prince simultaneously became a well-known visual icon with his
trademark curls, flowing jackets and ruffled attire with punk
embellishments.

"Darling Nikki" was another tune from Purple Rain that incited controversy

due to its explicit visuals. After senator Al Gore's wife Tipper Gore bought
the album for their daughter and listened to the track, she eventually
pushed for albums to sport labels that warned parents of graphic lyrics.

1985 saw the release of Around the World in a Day, which had the Top
10 tracks "Raspberry Beret," a whimsical mid-tempo tune, and "Pop Life."
The record continued to feature Prince's penchant for playing a range of
instruments and desire to impart messages of self-love, as seen with
"Paisley Park," a track inspired by the name of his Minneapolis studios.

In 1986 Prince released his eighth studio album, Parade, which included

his pulsating No. 1 pop/R&B single "Kiss." Parade served as the
soundtrack for the artist's second film, Under the Cherry Moon, which he
directed and starred in. 
Prince in 'Purple Rain'
Photo: Everett
Career Takes Off: 'Controversy' and '1999'
In 1978, Prince dropped his debut album, For You, which was followed
by Prince (1979). He played practically all of the instruments on the
albums, and the sophomore release contained his first Top 20 pop hit, the
easygoing "I Wanna Be Your Lover." The critically acclaimed Dirty
Mind dropped in 1980, consisting of material that was graphic in its
exploration of sexuality and fantasy.

Controversy (1981) continued playing with the themes of its predecessor,

as seen with the dance-oriented title track, which reached No. 3 on the
R&B charts, as well as songs like "Sexuality" and "Do Me Baby." Yet as
Prince continued to develop his career, he would also be known for tracks
that had a deep spirituality, with a yearning for majesty and wonder.

The singer found international success with the release of his 1982
album, 1999, which included the Top 20 title track, an exquisite synth-
funk ode about nuclear doomsday, as well as the Top 10 hits "Little Red
Corvette" and "Delirious." 
'Sign 'O' the Times,' 'Batman' Soundtrack
After the disbanding of the Revolution, Prince was able to consolidate
various shelved projects into what ultimately became the double
album Sign 'O' the Times (1987), with the title track reaching No. 3 on the
pop charts and No. 1 in R&B. The album was known for its stark
commentary on social issues yet also contained fun jams like "U Got the
Look," a raucous duet with Scottish singer Sheena Easton that reached
No. 2 on the pop charts. (He had previously penned the lasciviously
charged pop/R&B hit "Sugar Walls" from her 1984 album A Private
Heaven.) Sign was easily among Prince's most critically acclaimed
albums, yet its sales lagged in the U.S., finding more of an audience in
Europe, where the artist launched a successful tour. 

Maintaining a prodigious output, Prince released Lovesexy in 1988,

known for its album cover featuring a photo of the artist in the nude as
well as the Top 5 uptempo R&B hit "Alphabet St." 

By the time he released his 11th studio album, the soundtrack to Batman,
in 1989, Prince had become one of America's most commercially
successful pop artists, continually making waves on the
charts. Batman offered up the No. 1 romp "Batdance" as well as the Top
5 R&B hit "Partyman." The video for "Batdance" famously featured Prince
in split-effect makeup and costuming meant to symbolize both the film's
shadowy hero and his crazed nemesis, the Joker.  

The Early '90s: The New Power Generation

The early 1990s marked the launch of the New Power Generation,
Prince's latest band that featured a blend of contemporary R&B, hip-hop,
jazz and soul along with the vocals of Rosie Gaines. The group was first
called out in the soundtrack to Graffiti Bridge, a 1990 sequel to Purple
Rain that didn't fare well at the box office yet still yielded the Top 10 track
"Thieves in the Temple." 

With the NPG's artistic contribution, Prince found success with his
album Diamonds and Pearls (1991), which rose to No. 3 on the Billboard
200 album chart. Diamonds included the romantic title ballad, the
industrial strength "Gett Off," the playful paean "Insatiable" and the saucy
No. 1 single "Cream."
Prince's work with the NPG continued to unashamedly toy with ideas
around sexuality, gender norms and the body. To promote the album,
Prince had appeared on the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards to do a live
performance of "Gett Off." Echoing parts of the track's music video, the
performance featured an array of dancers and musicians in an onstage
bacchanal, with the artist famously turning around towards the end of the
song to show off his seatless pants. 

In the fall of 1992 Prince had signed a record $100 million dollar deal with
Warner Bros., which was considered "the largest recording and music
publishing contract in history" at the time and allowed him the freedom to
pursue TV, film, book and merchandising deals separately. As a
comparison, fellow industry giants Michael Jackson and Madonna had
$60 million-plus contracts that were all-inclusive.
Prince performing at the 2004 Grammy awards.
Photo: KMazur/WireImage
Collaborations
Provocative performances aside, Prince had well established himself as
an in-demand collaborator and behind-the-scenes player whose songs
were remade by other artists. In the mid-'80s, Chaka Khan released an
ebullient, highly successful cover of his 1979 tune "I Feel For You,"
while Sinead O'Connor's biggest hit was Prince's "Nothing Compares 2
U." The Art of Noise and Tom Jones reached the U.K. Top 5 in 1988 with
a remake of "Kiss," and Alicia Keys covered "How Come U Don't Call Me
Anymore" on her own 2001 debut. 

Prince also worked on specific album tracks for performers like Khan,
Madonna, Tevin Campbell, Kate Bush, the Time, Martika, Patti
Labelle and Janelle Monae. He was behind the girl group Vanity 6, led by
singer/actress Vanity, and their No. 1 dance hit "Nasty Girl." And he sent
a song to the all-women's band the Bangles that they would record to
great effect, reaching No. 2 with the lush ode to a stressful workday,
"Manic Monday."       

In 1992 Prince and the New Power Generation released Love Symbol

Album. Though embraced by some critics, sales did not fare as well
as Diamonds. Love only managed to have one Top 10 hit, the
transcendent single "7," though "My Name Is Prince" and the carnal
"Sexy MF" garnered some attention as well. The following year Prince
released the compilation box set The Hits/The B-Sides, which had an
array of popular songs as well as the newly released "Pink Cashmere," a
tender number sung in falsetto. 

Prince's Symbol: 'The Artist Formerly Known As Prince'

The lack of success for Love Symbol Album created tension between
Prince and his record label Warner Bros. Over the ensuing years, the
singer's career went through a roller coaster of ups and downs. Turned off
by feeling controlled by his label, Prince changed his name to the
unpronounceable glyph O(+> in 1993, a fusion of female and male
astrological symbols which he used until 2000. 

During that time, he was more frequently referred to as "the artist formerly
known as Prince," and his new symbol was not embraced by most fans.
He also started making appearances with the word "SLAVE" drawn on the
side of his face, meant to convey the great disdain he had for his label.
Prince did release the 1995 album The Gold Experience during this time
of duress, and scored another Top 5 song with "The Most Beautiful Girl in
the World." 

Once he was released from all contractual obligations to Warner Bros.,

Prince released the triple album fittingly
entitled Emancipation (1996), which went on to become certified platinum
and featured the soul remake "Betcha by Golly, Wow." Several other
albums affiliated with his NPG label soon followed, including Crystal
Ball (1998) and Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999).   
'Musicology,' Super Bowl and More Accolades
After several years of relative obscurity, Prince returned to the limelight in
2004 to perform at the Grammy Awards with Beyoncé Knowles, the same
year he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That spring, he
released Musicology with a tour that became the top concert draw in the
United States. The album won two Grammys and added another dreamy
ballad, "Call My Name," to the Prince canon. 

His next album, 3121, was released in 2006. That year, he wrote and
performed "Song of the Heart" for the animated film Happy Feet, and won
a Golden Globe (Best Original Song) for the composition. In 2007 he
performed during the Super Bowl XLI halftime show on a massive stage
shaped as his famous symbol amid pouring rain. The event was watched
by 140 million fans. 

2010 was the year of accolades for Prince. He not only was lauded by
Billboard.com as the greatest Super Bowl performer ever, but he was also
featured in TIME magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World"
and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BET Awards. He
ended the year with an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

Prince also continued to deliver the fruits of his studio efforts with Planet
Earth (2007), LotusFlow3r (2009) and, in a joint deal with the Daily
Mirror, 20Ten (2010).
Prince performing during the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami,
Florida.
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Opposition to Changing Industry Model
With the advent of the internet as the primary force for distributing music,
Prince was against the trend of having songs shared at will on the web.
He railed against the idea of providing his songs to online music platforms
without proper upfront compensation and profit-sharing, with his tracks
eventually only found on the Jay-Z backed streaming service Tidal. One
of the few pop artists to have full ownership of his masters, he was
diligent via Web Sheriff in erasing examples of his music, including videos
and live performances, from the internet. He was thus behind the Lenz v.
Universal Musical Group case, which unsuccessfully pushed for the
YouTube removal of a baby dancing to "Let's Go Crazy." 

Prince continued to take political stands with his performances as well.

On May 2, 2015, Prince staged a Dance Rally 4 Peace at Paisley Park to
pay tribute to Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American who died in
police custody after his arrest in Baltimore, and to show support for the
activists protesting his death. With his backup band 3RDEYEGIRL, Prince
performed a 41-minute concert including his protest song “Baltimore,”
which was inspired by Gray’s death. 

Death
On April 21, 2016, Prince was found dead at his Paisley Park compound
in Minnesota. The week prior, his plane made an emergency landing and
the singer was hospitalized for what was purportedly a severe case of the
flu, though reports later stated that the musician was actually given a life-
saving "safe shot" for a Percocet overdose. The Carver County sheriff's
department and Midwest Medical Examiner's office launched an
investigation into the cause of death. After the autopsy was performed,
his remains were cremated and his close family and friends gathered for
a small, private funeral on April 23.

Almost two weeks after the musician's death, a lawyer revealed that Dr.
Howard Kornfeld, a California-based physician who specializes in
treatment for those dependent upon and addicted to pain medication, had
been called upon by Prince's team to aid the musician. (The performer
had undergone hip surgery some years earlier, and was believed to have
endured recurring discomfort while giving concerts.) Kornfeld's son had
reportedly flown to Prince's compound to initiate the recovery process and
was among those who found him dead. While Prince's state of health at
the time of his death is unknown, attorney William Mauzy said the artist
"was dealing with a grave medical emergency" when Kornfeld was called,
as reported by The Minneapolis Star Tribune.

On June 2, 2016, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s office released results

of its investigation, which determined that Prince died from an accidental
overdose of “self-administered” fentanyl, a synthetic opiate.

Tributes to a profoundly unique artist poured in from fans across the

globe, as evidenced by impromptu memorials and celebrations of his
work. With love especially hailing from the city where Prince was born
and continued to live, thousands of mourners sang "Purple Rain" in
downtown Minneapolis on the night of his death.

His Minnesota home/studio, Paisley Park, officially opened its doors as a

museum in October 2016. The following month, his first posthumous
song, "Moonbeam Levels," was released. Additionally, production began
on a documentary about the singer’s early years, entitled Prince: R U
Listening?

On April 19, 2018, Carver County concluded its two-year investigation

with the announcement that no criminal charges would be filed in Prince's
death. Attorney Mark Metz said that it was unknown who supplied the
musician with the fentanyl-laced pills that killed him, and that there was
no evidence that any associates knew he was ingesting such a
dangerous substance.

"There is no doubt that the actions of individuals around Prince will be

criticized and judged in the days and weeks to come," Metz said. "But
suspicions and innuendo are not sufficient in bringing criminal charges."

Personal Life
Prince was extremely private about his personal life and preferred to
spend time at his Paisley Park compound, away from the celebrity
spotlight. 

In the 1980s, Prince had a long on-and-off relationship with singer-

songwriter Susannah Melvoin, the twin sister of Wendy Melvoin, a
guitarist in Prince’s band the Revolution. He was also romantically
involved with drummer extraordinaire Sheila E. The two worked together
on her albums The Glamorous Life, featuring the Top 10 pop/R&B title
track, and Romance 1600, showcasing the single "A Love Bizarre." 

On Valentine’s Day 1996, Prince married backup singer and dancer

Mayte Garcia. The couple had a son, who was born on October 16, 1996,
and died a week later from Pfeiffer Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
Prince and Garcia divorced in 1999. 

In 2001, Prince married his second wife, Manuela Testolini, who had
been employed by one of his charitable organizations. Their marriage
ended in 2006. After their divorce, he had a relationship with one of his
musical protégées, singer Bria Valente.
Religious Faith: Jehovah's Witness
During the same year as his wedding to Testolini, Prince also became a
Jehovah’s Witness, embracing the faith after years of study (he was
raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist). His mentor as a Witness was bassist
Larry Graham, who had played with Sly & the Family Stone and thus was
also a major musical influence.

Prince was believed to have taken part in what's referred to as field

service for his faith, having once visited a Jewish couple in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota, and leaving behind a copy of the Witness publication The
Watchtower. His language and performance sensibilities changed
somewhat, with some fans questioning how some of the conservative
aspects of his religion jibed with the explicit nature of past songs.
Contradicting the rock/soul persona, others have pointed out that Prince
has historically had songs that were clearly Christian in nature, as seen
with "The Ladder," "The Holy River," "The Cross" and "God," the gospel
B-side to the single "Purple Rain." 

'The Beautiful Ones' Memoir and Tribute

In March 2016, it was announced that the pop superstar was working on
a memoir, tentatively titled The Beautiful Ones. According
to Billboard magazine, Prince spoke to an audience at a music industry
event about the memoir: “This is my first (book). My brother Dan” — co-
writer Dan Piepenbring — “is helping me with it. He’s a good critic and
that’s what I need. He’s not a ‘yes’ man at all and he’s really helping me
get through this. We’re starting from the beginning from my first memory
and hopefully we can go all the way up to the Super Bowl.”

Although the artist passed away shortly afterward, his collaborators

continued to work on the project. In October 2019, Penguin Random
House published the 279-page The Beautiful Ones, combining Prince's
unfinished manuscript with photos, scrapbooks and lyrics.

The following spring, CBS aired Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to

Prince on the fourth anniversary of his death. Hosted by comedian and
actress Maya Rudolph, the special featured an all-star lineup of musicians
performing the artist's classic hits. Highlights included John
Legend delivering a soulful version of "Nothing Compares 2 U," Chris
Martin and Susanna Hoffs teaming up for a delicate rendition of "Manic
Monday" and Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters pumping out their hard-
rock cover of "Darling Nikki."