Music legend Prince found dead at 57 at Paisley Park

Legendary Minnesota pop musician Prince, widely hailed as a versatile musical genius, was found dead Thursday morning at his Paisley Park recording studio complex in Chanhassen. He was 57.

Immediately upon hearing the news, mourners began lining up with flowers and stuffed animals outside the studio on Audubon Road, some sobbing and embracing. Shocked condolences flooded social media. Lawmakers paused for a moment of silence at a state legislative hearing.

Fans touched a star bearing his name painted on the First Avenue music club in downtown Minneapolis, the “Purple Rain” site where he played often early in his career.

“Our hearts are broken,” First Avenue said on Facebook. “Prince was the Patron Saint of First Avenue. He grew up on this stage, and then commanded it, and he united our city. It is difficult to put into words the impact his death will have on the entire music community, and the world. As the tragic news sinks in, our thoughts are with Prince’s family, friends, and fans.”

At the club, where Prince not only filmed “Purple Rain” but recorded the song of the same name and several more in concert, the singer’s influence on other musicians was still apparent on a daily basis. He was so closely tied to the club, many fans believed (erroneously) that he owned it.

“There’s not a day that goes by where we don’t hear a band playing one of his songs during sound check, or someone asks for a tour because of Prince or wants to come take a picture with his star on the wall,” said the club’s general manager Nate Kranz. “We cannot overstate what he means to this club. He put it on the map internationally.”

Prince still hung out at First Ave sporadically, including as recently as the Are You Local? showcase on Feb. 20, when he showed up to see the hot new women’s R&B trio King. “It was always exciting, and always interesting, every time he walked into the room,” Kranz said.

Condolences and 140-character Twitter eulogies poured in from everyone from U.S. senators to celebrities ranging from Questlove to MC Hammer to Justin Timberlake.

Broadway star and recent Pulitzer Prize winner Lin-Manuel Miranda echoed one of the singer’s famous opening lines: “Dearly beloved We are gathered here today 2 get through this thing called Life…”

Prince’s childhood friend and early bandmate André Cymone said he traded messages with him from Los Angeles last weekend after the reports of his illness on a plane flight.

“He said he was doing OK and we’d try to hook up next time he was in LA,” said Cymone, whose mother took Prince into her home in his midteens when his relationship with his parents got too strained. “I’m just devastated now. I’m in utter disbelief. It’s such a tragedy.”

Publicist Martin Keller, who covered Prince since he was 17, called him a “great inspiration for African-American kids anywhere, growing up in a broken home, pursuing what you want to do, becoming successful at it, building a wide world following. That’s the all-American story, isn’t it?”

With his songwriting, multi-faceted instrumental prowess and sharp sensibility, Prince’s command of the genre was deep, Keller said.

“Minnesota has never produced anyone like him and is not likely to again,” he said. “You just don’t get that in one artist.”

Keller said Prince was a “severe introvert” who grew from barely getting words out early in his career to becoming more articulate and press-friendly as he got older.

“People who have that personality draw on sources and things that the rest of us will never be able to find,” Keller said.

By mid-day Thursday, officials had closed a stretch of the road outside Paisley Park after traffic had backed up on nearby Hwy. 5 as more mourners trickled in with purple flowers.

Within an hour of learning the news of Prince’s death, Kari Swalinkavich, an attorney from Chanhassen and self-described “Chan mom,” drove to Paisley Park and gather with dozens of other Prince fans to pay tribute.

“He was a magical being and watching him grow up and evolve brought a little magic to us,” Swalinkavich said as she stood with friends and talked about the loss and wiped away tears.

Swalinkavich said she would sometimes see Prince drive his car or ride his bike around Chanhassen, adding that “he seemed like he was finally happy and able to be himself. He was funny and had a good time.”

She and her friends also talked about how generous he was, inviting people to his pajama parties and making pancakes for his guests.

“He was a magical little package,” she said. “We just weren’t ready to be done with that.”

Carver County authorities had said Thursday morning that they were investigating a death at the studio but would not give details, saying they were waiting to notify next of kin. County dispatch broadcast the call as “a medical, Paisley Park … for a male down not breathing.” A few seconds later, an emergency responder replied “CPR started.”

The news of his death came less than a week after Prince’s private plane made an emergency landing early Friday morning in Illinois as he was returning to the Twin Cities from two shows in Atlanta on Thursday.

Afterward, a source close to Prince told the Star Tribune that the singer was dehydrated on the flight home. Prince himself wanted to clarify the situation on Saturday, saying, “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”

Prince was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll of Fame in 2004. Standing just 5 feet, 2 inches tall, he seemed to summon the most original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that openly drew upon Jimi Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto or turning out album after album of stunningly original material. Among his other notable releases: “Sign O’ the Times,” “Graffiti Bridge” and “The Black Album.”

He was also fiercely protective of his independence, battling his record company over control of his material and even his name. Prince once wrote “slave” on his face in protest of not owning his work and famously battled and then departed his label, Warner Bros., before returning a few years ago.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.