Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, and filmmaker. A guitar virtuoso known for his genre-crossing work, falsetto singing voice and flamboyant stage appearances, Prince is regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time. His innovative music integrated a wide variety of styles, including funk, rock, R&B, new wave, soul, psychedelia, and pop. Prince pioneered the late 1970s Minneapolis sound, a funk rock subgenre drawing from synth-pop and new wave.Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music as a young child and wrote his first song, "Funk Machine", at the age of seven. He signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records at the age of 17, and released his debut album For You in 1978. Followed with his next four albums — Prince (1979), Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), and 1999 (1982)—Prince gained critical success, prominently showcasing his explicit lyrics as well as blending of funk, dance, and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as The Revolution and released Purple Rain, the soundtrack album to his successful film debut of the same name. It quickly became his most critically and commercially successful release, spending 24 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and selling 25 million copies worldwide. The film itself grossed more than $68 million at the box office in the United States and over $80 million worldwide, thus making a large profit on its $7.2 million budget. The film also won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score, the last to receive the award. After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded, and Prince released the critically acclaimed double album Sign o' the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. In 1993, in the midst of a contractual dispute with Warner Bros., Prince changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol (), also known as the "Love Symbol", and began releasing new albums at a faster rate in order to quickly meet a contractually required quota and therefore release himself from further obligations to the record label. He released five records between 1994 and 1996 before he signed with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as "Prince" again. He subsequently released 16 albums, including the highly praised Musicology (2004). His final album, Hit n Run Phase Two, was first released on the Tidal streaming service in 2015. In April 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died of an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Prince sold over 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit Awards, six American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the film Purple Rain), and a Golden Globe Award. He was also honored with special awards including the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Award for Achievement and American Music Award of Merit, and the Billboard Icon Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016. Rolling Stone ranked Prince at No. 27 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.