Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), knownmononymously asPrince, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, and actor. Often credited as an influence on modern music and one of the greatest musicians of his era, he pioneered theMinneapolis sound and was influential in the evolution of various other genres of music.[7]
In 1993, in the midst of a contractual dispute withWarner Bros, Prince changed his stage name to the unpronounceable symbol, known to fans as the "Love Symbol".[a] After signing a contract withArista Records in 1998, Prince reverted to his original name in 2000 and continued releasing albums, including the doubleGrammy Award winningMusicology (2004). He was a prolific musician who released39 albums during his life, witha vast array of unreleased material.[9] On April 21, 2016, at the age of 57, Prince died after accidentally overdosing on counterfeithydrocodone/paracetamol pills laced withfentanyl at hisPaisley Park home and recording studio inChanhassen, Minnesota.
Prince was named after his father's most popular stage name, Prince Rogers, which was used while performing with Della in a jazz group named the Prince Rogers Trio.[14] In 1991, Prince's father toldA Current Affair that he named his son "Prince" because he wanted Prince "to do everything I wanted to do".[15] During his childhood, Prince was not fond of his name and used "Skipper" instead.[14][16][17] Prince said he was "bornepileptic" and had seizures when he was young. He stated, "My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore,' and she said, 'Why?' and I said, 'Because an angel told me so.'"[18] Prince's younger sister,Tyka, was born on May 18, 1960.[19][20] Both siblings developed a keen interest in music, which was encouraged by their father.[21] His parents were both members of theSeventh-day Adventist Church, aProtestant denomination.[22]
In 2022, during a Minneapolis teachers' strike,Minneapolis–Saint Paul news stationWCCO-TV was researching a previousteacher's strike in April 1970 and accidentally uncovered an interview they had done with Prince about that strike. Prince, who was 11 years old at the time, said about the strike, "I think they should get a better education too cause, um, and I think they should get some more money cause they work, they be working extra hours for us and all that stuff." While he never identifies himself in the interview, it was confirmed to be him through interviews with a historian in Minneapolis, as well as by a former classmate who was a member of Prince's first band. The video is one of few videos from his childhood.[23]
Prince wrote his first song, titled "Funk Machine", on his father's piano when he was seven years old.[21] When he was ten, his parents divorced. His mother remarried Hayward Baker, with whom she had a son named Omarr. Prince had a fraught relationship with Omarr, to the extent that it caused him to repeatedly switch homes, sometimes living with his father and sometimes with his mother and stepfather.[21][24] Baker took Prince to seeJames Brown in concert, with Prince crediting Baker with improving the family's finances. After a brief period of living with his father, who bought him his first guitar, Prince moved into the basement of the Anderson family, who were his neighbors, after his father threw him out.[25] He befriended the Andersons' son,André Cymone, who later collaborated with Prince.[26]
Prince briefly attended Minneapolis's Bryant Junior High,[27] after which he moved toCentral High School where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He played on Central'sjunior varsity basketball team, and continued to recreationally play basketball as an adult.[27][28] He was trained in classical ballet at theMinnesota Dance Theatre through the Urban Arts Program ofMinneapolis Public Schools.[29] Prince became an advocate for dancers, and used his wealth to save the failingJoffrey Ballet in Chicago during the 1990s.[30][31] He met songwriter and producerJimmy Jam in 1973 and impressed Jam with his musical talent, early mastery of a wide range of instruments, and work ethic.[32]
Career
1975–1983: Beginnings and breakthrough
The Minneapolis house, seen here in August 2017, where Prince stayed withAndré Cymone's family
In 1975, Pepe Willie, the husband of one of Prince's cousins, formed the band94 East with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry, hiring André Cymone and Prince to record tracks.[33][34] Willie wrote the songs, with Prince contributing guitar tracks, both of them co-writing the 94 East song, "Just Another Sucker".[35] The band recorded tracks which later appeared in the albumMinneapolis Genius – The Historic 1977 Recordings.[35] In 1976, shortly after graduating from Central High School, Prince created a demo tape with producerChris Moon, in Moon's Minneapolis studio.[36] Unable to secure a recording contract, Moon brought the tape toOwen Husney, a Minneapolis businessman. Husney signed Prince, then aged 19, to a management contract, and helped him create a demo atSound 80 Studios in Minneapolis, with producer/engineer David Z.[37][38] The demo recording, along with apress kit produced at Husney's ad agency, resulted in interest from several record companies, includingWarner Bros. Records,A&M Records, andColumbia Records.[39]
With the help of Husney, Prince signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1977.[40] The record company agreed to give Prince creative control for three albums and retain his publishing rights.[41][42] Husney and Prince then left Minneapolis and moved toSausalito, California, where Prince's first album,For You, was recorded atRecord Plant Studios. The album was mixed in Los Angeles and released on April 7, 1978.[43] According to theFor You album notes, Prince wrote, produced, arranged, composed, and played all 27 instruments on the recording, except for the song "Soft and Wet", whose lyrics were co-written by Moon. The cost of recording the album was twice Prince's initial advance. Prince used thePrince's Music Co. to publish his songs. In the United States, "Soft and Wet" reached No. 12 on theHot Soul Singles chart and No. 92 on theBillboard Hot 100. The song "Just as Long as We’re Together" reached No. 91 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[44]
Ticket to Prince's first performance with his band in January 1979
Around this time, a side enterprise that Prince began to pursue involved a then-teenage singerSue Ann Carwell, whose career as a solo artist he hoped to mold after hearing her talented performance on the Minneapolis R&B scene. However, Carwell resisted his suggestion that she use the name "Susie Stone".[45][46] Recordings he had been working on with her for a projected 1978 album, including "I'm Saving It Up", "Make It Through the Storm", "Since We've Been Together" and "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?", went unreleased.[47][48] Carwell was subsequently signed by Warner Bros. Records.[47]
In 1979, Prince created a band with André Cymone on bass,Dez Dickerson on guitar, Gayle Chapman andDoctor Fink on keyboards, andBobby Z. on drums. Their first show was at the Capri Theater on January 5, 1979. Warner Bros. executives attended the show but decided that Prince and the band needed more time to develop his music.[49][page needed] In October 1979, Prince released the albumPrince, which reached No. 4 on theBillboardTop R&B/Black Albums charts and No. 22 on theBillboard 200, and wentplatinum. It contained two R&B hits: "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover", which sold more than a million copies, and reached No. 11 on theBillboard Hot 100 and stayed at No. 1 for two weeks on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince performed both songs on January 26, 1980, onAmerican Bandstand.[50]
In 1980, Prince released the albumDirty Mind, which contained sexually explicit material, including the title song "Head", and the song "Sister", and was described byStephen Thomas Erlewine as a "stunning, audacious amalgam of funk,new wave, R&B, and pop, fueled by grinningly salacious sex and the desire to shock".[51] Recorded in Prince's studio, this album was certifiedgold, with the single "Uptown" reaching No. 5 on theBillboard Dance chart and No. 5 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. Prince was also the opening act forRick James' 1980Fire It Up tour.[52]
In February 1981, Prince made his first appearance onSaturday Night Live, performing "Partyup". In October 1981, Prince released the albumControversy. He played several dates in support of it, as the first of three opening acts forthe Rolling Stones, on their United Statestour. In Los Angeles, Prince, who appeared in a trench coat and black bikini briefs, was forced off the stage after just three songs by audience members throwing trash at him.[53][54] The songs onControversy were published byControversy Music[55] –ASCAP, a practice he continued until theEmancipation album in 1996.Controversy also marked the introduction of Prince's use ofabbreviated spelling, such as writing the words "you" as "U", "to" as "2", and "for" as "4"; by 2002, MTV News noted that "now all of his titles, liner notes, and Web postings are written in his own shorthand spelling, as seen on 1999'sRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, which featured 'Hot Wit U.'"[56]
In 1981, Prince formed a side project band calledThe Time. The band released four albums between 1981 and 1990, with Prince writing and performing most of the instrumentation and backing vocals—sometimes being credited under the pseudonyms "Jamie Starr" or "The Starr Company"—with lead vocals byMorris Day.[57][58]
In late 1982, Prince released a double album,1999, which sold more than four million copies.[59][60] Thetitle track was a protest againstnuclear proliferation and became Prince's first top 10 hit in countries outside the United States. Prince's "Little Red Corvette" was one of the first two videos by black artists—along withMichael Jackson's "Billie Jean"—played in heavy rotation onMTV, which had been perceived as against "black music" untilCBS PresidentWalter Yetnikoff threatened to pull all CBS videos.[61][62] Prince and Jackson had a competitive rivalry which lasted for many years.[63] The song "Delirious" also placed in the top ten on theBillboard Hot 100 chart. "International Lover" earned Prince his firstGrammy Award nomination at the26th Annual Grammy Awards.[64]
1984–1987:Purple Rain,Around the World in a Day andParade
Starting with the release of 1999, the backing band for Prince would be referred to asthe Revolution.[65][66] The band's name was printed in reverse on the cover of1999 inside the letter "I" of the word "Prince".[67] The band consisted ofLisa Coleman andDoctor Fink on keyboards,Bobby Z. on drums,Brown Mark on bass, andDez Dickerson on guitar.Jill Jones, a backing singer, was also part of the lineup for the1999 album and tour.[67] Following the tour, Dickerson left the group for religious reasons.[68] In the bookPossessed: The Rise and Fall of Prince (2003), author Alex Hahn says that Dickerson was reluctant to sign a three-year contract and wanted to pursue other musical ventures. Dickerson was replaced by Coleman's friendWendy Melvoin.[65] At first, the band was used sparsely in the studio, but this gradually changed during 1983.[67][68][69]
According to his former managerBob Cavallo, in the early 1980s, Prince required his management to obtain a deal for him to star in a major motion picture, even though his exposure at that point was limited to several pop and R&B hits, music videos and occasional TV performances. In 1984, this resulted in the hit filmPurple Rain—which starred Prince and was loosely autobiographical—and theeponymous studio album, which was also the soundtrack to the film.[66] ThePurple Rain album sold more than 13 million copies in the United States and spent 24 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on theBillboard 200 chart. The film won Prince anAcademy Award for Best Original Song Score[70] and grossed more than $68 million in the US,[71][72] or $206 million in 2024 dollars.[73] It is regarded as one of the greatestmusical films.[74][75] Songs from the film were hits on pop charts around the world; "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" reached No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100, with thetitle track reaching No. 2.[76] At one point in 1984, Prince simultaneously had the No. 1 album, single, and film in the United States,[77] being the first singer to achieve this feat.[78] ThePurple Rain album is ranked 8th inRolling Stone's"500 Greatest Albums of All Time",[79] and is also included on the list ofTime's All-Time 100 Albums.[80] The album also produced two of Prince's first three Grammy Awards earned at the27th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.[64]
In 1984,pop artistAndy Warhol created the paintingOrange Prince. Warhol was fascinated by Prince and ultimately created a total of twelve unique paintings of him in different colorways, all of which were kept in Warhol's personal collection.[81] Four of these paintings are now in the collection ofThe Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. In November 1984,Vanity Fair published Warhol's portrait to accompany the articlePurple Fame[82] by Tristan Fox, and claimed that Warhol's silkscreen image of Prince with its pop colors captured the recording artist "at the height of his powers".
Prince performing duringPurple Rain Tour in 1984, which solely took place in the United States
AfterTipper Gore heard her 11-year-old daughterKarenna listening to Prince's song "Darling Nikki", which gained wide notoriety for its sexual lyrics and a reference to masturbation, she founded theParents Music Resource Center.[83] The center advocated the mandatory use of a warning label, now known asParental Advisory, on the covers of records that have been judged to contain language or lyrical content unsuitable for minors. The recording industry later voluntarily complied with this request.[84]
In 1985, Prince releasedAround the World in a Day, which held the No. 1 spot on theBillboard 200 for three weeks. From that album, the single "Raspberry Beret" reached No. 2 on theBillboard Hot 100, and "Pop Life" reached No. 7.[76]
In 1986, his albumParade, the soundtrack for the movieUnder the Cherry Moon released in the same year, reached No. 3 on theBillboard 200 and No. 2 on the R&B charts. The first single, "Kiss", with its video choreographed byLouis Falco, reached No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100.[76] In the same year, the song "Manic Monday", written by Prince and recorded bythe Bangles, reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart.
Although theParade album went platinum and sold two million copies,[85][86] the film received aGolden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture, tied withHoward the Duck, and Prince received Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Director, Worst Actor, and Worst Original Song for the song "Love or Money".[87][88] Some critics later re-evaluatedUnder the Cherry Moon after Prince's death and declared it acult classic, comparing it to films such as8½,Casablanca andIt Happened One Night.[89][90][91]
In 1986, Prince began a series of live performances called theParade Tour.[b] After the tour, Prince disbanded the Revolution and fired Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman.[66] Brown Mark also quit the band, with only keyboardist Doctor Fink remaining. Following this,Miko Weaver,Atlanta Bliss, andEric Leeds joined the band.[68]
1987–1991:Sign o' the Times,Lovesexy,Batman andGraffiti Bridge
Before disbanding the Revolution, Prince was working on two separate projects, an album with The Revolution titledDream Factory, and a solo album namedCamille.[92] Unlike the three previous band albums,Dream Factory included input from the band members and featured songs with lead vocals by Wendy & Lisa.[92] TheCamille project saw Prince create a newandrogynous persona primarily singing in a sped-up, female-sounding voice. With the dismissal of the Revolution, Prince consolidated material from both shelved albums, along with other songs, into a three-LP album to be titledCrystal Ball.[93] Warner Bros. forced Prince to trim the triple album to a double album, releasingSign o' the Times on March 31, 1987.[94]
The album peaked at No. 6 on theBillboard 200 albums chart.[94] The first single, "Sign o' the Times", charted at No. 3 on the Hot 100.[95] The follow-up single, "If I Was Your Girlfriend", charted at No. 67 on the Hot 100 but reached No. 12 on R&B chart.[95] The third single, a duet withSheena Easton, "U Got the Look", charted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and No. 11 on the R&B chart,[95] and the final single, "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man", charted at No. 10 on Hot 100 and No. 14 on the R&B chart.[95]
It was named the top album of the year by thePazz & Jop critics' poll and sold 3.2 million copies.[96] In Europe, it performed well, with Prince promoting the album with a lengthy tour. Putting together a new backing band from the remnants of the Revolution, Prince added bassistLevi Seacer Jr., keyboardist Boni Boyer, and dancer/choreographerCat Glover[97] with drummerSheila E.[98] and holdovers Miko Weaver, Doctor Fink, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, and the Bodyguards Wally Safford and Greg Brooks for the Sign o' the Times Tour.[99]
The Sign o' the Times tour was a success overseas, with Warner Bros. and Prince's managers wanting to bring it to the United States to promote sales of the album.[100][101] Prince did not approve of a full United States tour, as he was ready to produce a new album.[100] As a compromise, the last two nights of the tour were filmed for release in movie theaters. The film quality was deemed subpar, and reshoots were performed at Prince'sPaisley Park studios.[100] The filmSign o' the Times was released on November 20, 1987. The film got better reviews thanUnder the Cherry Moon, but its box-office receipts were minimal, and it quickly left theaters.[101]
The next album intended for release wasThe Black Album.[102] More instrumental and funk- and R&B-themed than recent releases,[103]The Black Album also saw Prince experiment withhip hop on the songs "Bob George" and "Dead on It". Prince was set to release the album with a monochromatic black cover with only the catalog number printed, but after 500,000 copies had been pressed,[104] Prince had a spiritual epiphany that the album was "evil" and had it recalled.[105] Surviving vinyl copies of the album have sold for upwards of $10 thousand.[106]The Black Album was re-released in 1994.
Prince went back in the studio for eight weeks and recordedLovesexy. Released on May 10, 1988,Lovesexy serves as a spiritual opposite to the darkThe Black Album.[107] Every song is a solo effort by Prince, except "Eye No", which was recorded with his backing band at the time.Lovesexy reached No. 11 on theBillboard 200 and No. 5 on the R&B albums chart.[108] The lead single, "Alphabet St.", peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and No. 3 on the R&B chart,[94] selling 750,000 copies.[109]
Prince again took his post-Revolution backing band, excluding the Bodyguards, on a three-leg, 84-show Lovesexy World Tour; although the shows were well-received by huge crowds, they failed to make a net profit due to the expensive sets and props.[110][111]
Prince performing during the Nude Tour inTokyo, Japan in 1990
In 1989, Prince appeared onMadonna's studio albumLike a Prayer, co-writing and singing the duet "Love Song" and playing electric guitar without being credited on the songs "Like a Prayer", "Keep It Together", and "Act of Contrition". He also began work on several musical projects, includingRave Unto the Joy Fantastic and early drafts of hisGraffiti Bridge film,[112][113] but both were put on hold when he was asked byBatman directorTim Burton to record several songs for the upcoming live-action adaptation. Prince went into the studio and produced an entire nine-track album that Warner Bros. released on June 20, 1989.Batman's soundtrack peaked at No. 1 on theBillboard 200,[114] selling 4.3 million copies.[115] The single "Batdance" topped theBillboard Hot 100 and R&B charts.[94]
The single "The Arms of Orion", with Sheena Easton, charted at No. 36, and "Partyman" charted at No. 18 on the Hot 100 and at No. 5 on the R&B chart, while the love ballad "Scandalous!" went to No. 5 on the R&B chart.[94] Prince had to sign away all publishing rights to the songs on the album to Warner Bros. as part of the deal to do the soundtrack.[116]
In 1990, Prince went back on tour with a revamped band for his back-to-basicsNude Tour. With the departures of Boni Boyer, Sheila E., the Horns, and Cat, Prince brought in keyboardistRosie Gaines, drummerMichael Bland, and dancing triothe Game Boyz (Tony M., Kirky J., and Damon Dickson). The European and Japanese tour was a financial success with a short, greatest hits setlist.[117] In 1990, Prince finished production on his fourth film,Graffiti Bridge, and itssoundtrack. Initially, Warner Bros. was reluctant to fund the film, but with Prince's assurances it would be a sequel toPurple Rain, as well as the involvement of the original members of the Time, the studio greenlit the project.[118] Released on August 20, 1990, the album reached No. 6 on theBillboard 200 and R&B albums chart.[119] The single "Thieves in the Temple" reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart,[94] with "Round and Round" placing at No. 12 on the United States charts and No. 2 on the R&B charts. The song featured the teenageTevin Campbell, who also had a role in the film, on lead vocals. The film, released on November 20, 1990, was a box-office flop, grossing $4.2 million.[120] Miko Weaver and Doctor Fink, the last remaining members of the Revolution, would leave Prince's band shortly after.[121]
1991–1996: Name change,Diamonds and Pearls andThe Gold Experience
The unpronounceable symbol created by Prince in 1992 known as the "Love Symbol", which would later become his stage name
1991 began with a performance inRock in Rio II,[122] marking the debut of Prince's new band,the New Power Generation. With guitarist Miko Weaver and long-time keyboardist Doctor Fink leaving, Prince added bass playerSonny T., keyboard playerTommy Barbarella, and a brass section known asthe Hornheads to go along withLevi Seacer, who would be taking over on guitar,Rosie Gaines,Michael Bland, andthe Game Boyz.[123] With significant input from his band members,Diamonds and Pearls was released on October 1, 1991. Reaching No. 3 on theBillboard 200 album chart,[124]Diamonds and Pearls saw four hit singles released in the United States. "Gett Off" peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B charts, followed by "Cream", which gave Prince his fifth United States No. 1 single. The title track "Diamonds and Pearls" became the album's third single, reaching No. 3 on the Hot 100 and the top spot on the R&B charts. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" peaked at No. 23 and No. 14 on the Hot 100 and R&B charts respectively.[125]Diamonds and Pearls would sell more than 2 million copies in the United States alone.[126]
In 1992, following the success ofDiamonds and Pearls, Prince renewed his contract with Warner Bros., agreeing to what was reportedly a $100 million deal to release six more albums with the label.[127] In October, Prince released his 14th studio album, named, being the second to feature the New Power Generation. It bore only an unpronounceable symbol on the cover, which would later be copyrighted as "Love Symbol #2", as its title;[128] the symbol was explained as being a combination of thesymbols for male (♂) and female (♀). It was preceded by the releases of the singles "Sexy MF" and "My Name Is Prince", which reached No. 66 and No. 36 respectively on theBillboard Hot 100. The third single, "7" would peak at No. 7 on theBillboard Hot 100.[125] The album, later referred to asLove Symbol, peaked at No. 5 on theBillboard 200[129] and went on to sell 2.8 million copies worldwide, falling short of expectations.[130]
Prince, then known as, performing during the Act I and II tour inZürich, Switzerland in 1993
In 1993, in rebellion against Warner Bros., which refused to release Prince's enormous backlog of music at a steady pace,[131][132] Prince formally adopted as his stage name.[128] To use the symbol in print media, Warner Bros. organized a mass mailing offloppy disks with a custom font.[133] At this time, Prince was often referred to as "the Artist Formerly Known as Prince" or "the Artist".[134] That same year, Warner Bros. released agreatest hits compilation with the three-discThe Hits/The B-Sides in 1993. The first two discs were also sold separately asThe Hits 1 andThe Hits 2. The collection features the majority of Prince's hit singles, and several previously hard-to-find recordings, includingB-sides from across Prince's career and previously unreleased tracks such as the Revolution-recorded "Power Fantastic" and a live recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" with Rosie Gaines. Two new songs, "Pink Cashmere" and "Peach", were chosen as promotional singles.
In 1994, Warner Bros. allowed the single "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" to be released via independent distributorBellmark Records in February. The release reached No. 3 on the United StatesBillboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in many other countries. Prince began to release albums in quick succession as a means of releasing himself from his contractual obligations to Warner Bros. This led to the previously abortedBlack Album being given a limited official release seven years after its initial recording. Prince pushed to have his next two albums,Come andThe Gold Experience, released simultaneously. Warner Bros. accepted both albums, but delayed the release ofThe Gold Experience, fearingmarket saturation. In retaliation, Prince began making public appearances with "slave" written on his face.[54]The Gold Experience would not be released until September 1995. The album was not in print for a long period due to a plagiarism case relating to "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", but the album was released on streaming platforms with Prince’s catalog in 2018, and reissued on CD and vinyl in 2022.[135]
In 1996, the albumChaos and Disorder was released. Prince submitted another album titledThe Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale to Warner Bros. that same year, completing his contract with the label. Although the album was not released until 1999, Warner Bros. agreed to release Prince from his contract now that he had delivered the promised number of albums to them.[citation needed]
1996–2000:Emancipation,Crystal Ball andRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Free of any further contractual obligations to Warner Bros., Prince attempted a major comeback later that year with the release ofEmancipation, a 36-song, three-CD set, with each disc being exactly 60 minutes long. The album was released via his own label, namedNPG Records, with distribution throughEMI.
Prince releasedCrystal Ball, a five-CD collection of unreleased material, in 1998. The distribution of this album was disorderly, with some fans pre-ordering the album on his website up to a year before it was shipped; these pre-orders were delivered months after the record had gone on sale in retail stores. The retail edition has only four discs, as it is missing theKamasutra disc. There are also two different packaging editions for retail; one is a four-disc sized jewel case with a white cover and the Love Symbol in a colored circle, while the other contains all four discs in a round translucent snap jewel case. The discs are the same, as is the CD jacket. TheNewpower Soul album was released three months later. His collaborations onChaka Khan'sCome 2 My House andLarry Graham'sGCS2000, both released on the NPG label around the same time asNewpower Soul, were promoted by live appearances onVibe with Sinbad and theNBCToday show's Summer Concert Series.[citation needed]
The pay-per-view concert,Rave Un2 the Year 2000, was broadcast on December 31, 1999, and consisted of footage from the December 17 and 18 concerts of his 1999 tour. The concert featured appearances by guest musicians, includingLenny Kravitz,George Clinton, Jimmy Russell, and the Time. It was released to home video the following year.[121]
2000–2007:Musicology and3121
On May 16, 2000, Prince stopped using the Love Symbol as his name, since his publishing contract withWarner/Chappell had expired.[140] In a press conference, he stated that after being freed from undesirable relationships associated with the name "Prince", he would revert to using his real name. Nevertheless, Prince continued to use the symbol as a logo and on album artwork and to play a Love Symbol–shaped guitar.[citation needed] For several years following the release ofRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic, Prince primarily released new music through his Internet subscription service, NPGOnlineLtd.com, which later became NPGMusicClub.com.[141] The albums released during this period include remix albumRave In2 the Joy Fantastic andThe Rainbow Children in 2001,One Nite Alone... in 2002, andXpectation in 2003.[citation needed]
In 2001, Warner Bros. released a second compilation album,The Very Best of Prince, containing most of his commercially successful singles from the 1980s. In 2002, Prince released his first live album,One Nite Alone... Live!, which features performances from the One Nite Alone...Tour. The three-CD box set also includes a disc of "aftershow" music entitledIt Ain't Over!. During this time, Prince sought to engage more effectively with his fan base via theNPG Music Club, pre-concert sound checks, and at yearly "celebrations" atPaisley Park. Fans were invited into the studio for tours, interviews, discussions and music-listening sessions. Some of these fan discussions were filmed for anunreleased documentary, directed byKevin Smith.[citation needed]
In April 2004, Prince releasedMusicology through a one-album agreement with Columbia. The album rose as high as the top five on some international charts (including the US, UK, Germany, and Australia). The United States chart success was assisted by the CDs being included as part of the concert ticket purchase, thereby qualifying each CD (as chart rules then stood) to count toward United States chart placement.[150] Three months later,Spin named him the greatestfrontman of all time.[151] That same year,Rolling Stone magazine named Prince as the highest-earning musician in the world, with an annual income of $56.5 million,[152] largely due to hisMusicology Tour, whichPollstar named as the top concert draw among musicians in the US. He played 96 concerts; the average ticket price for a show was US$61 (equivalent to $102 in 2024).Musicology went on to receive two Grammy wins, forBest Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Call My Name" and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for thetitle track.Musicology was also nominated for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Album, and "Cinnamon Girl" was nominated forBest Male Pop Vocal Performance.Rolling Stone ranked Prince No. 27 on theirlist of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[153]
In April 2005, Prince played guitar (along withEn Vogue singing backing vocals) onStevie Wonder's single "So What the Fuss", Wonder's first since 1999. In late 2005, Prince signed withUniversal Music to release his album,3121, on March 21, 2006. The first single was "Te Amo Corazón", the video for which was directed by actressSalma Hayek and filmed inMarrakech, Morocco, featuring Argentine actress and singerMía Maestro. The video for the second single, "Black Sweat", was nominated at theMTV VMAs for Best Cinematography. The immediate success of3121 gave Prince his first No. 1 debut on theBillboard 200 with the album.
To promote the new album, Prince was the musical guest onSaturday Night Live on February 4, 2006, 17 years after his lastSNL appearance on the 15th-anniversary special, and nearly 25 years since his first appearance on a regular episode in 1981.[154] At the2006 Webby Awards on June 12, Prince received aWebby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his "visionary use of the Internet to distribute music and connect with audiences", exemplified by his decision to release his albumCrystal Ball (1998) exclusively online.[155][156]
In July 2006, weeks after winning a Webby Award, Prince shut down his NPG Music Club website, after more than five years of operation.[157][158] On the day of the music club's shutdown, a lawsuit was filed against Prince by the British company HM Publishing (owners of theNature Publishing Group, also NPG). Despite these events occurring on the same day, Prince's attorney stated that the site did not close due to the trademark dispute.[157]
Prince appeared at multiple award ceremonies in 2006: on February 15, he performed at the2006 Brit Awards, along with Wendy & Lisa andSheila E.,[159] and on June 27, Prince appeared at the2006 BET Awards, where he was awarded Best Male R&B Artist. Prince performed a medley of Chaka Khan songs for Khan's BET Lifetime Achievement Award.[160]
In November 2006, Prince was inducted into theUK Music Hall of Fame;[26] he appeared to collect his award but did not perform. Also in November 2006, Prince opened a nightclub called 3121, inLas Vegas at theRio All Suite Hotel and Casino. He performed weekly on Friday and Saturday nights until April 2007, when his contract with the Rio ended.[161] On August 22, 2006, Prince releasedUltimate Prince. The double-disc set contains one CD of previous hits, and another of extended versions and mixes of material that had largely only previously been available on vinyl record B-sides. That same year, Prince wrote and performed a song for the hit animated filmHappy Feet (2006). The song – "The Song of the Heart" – appears on the film'ssoundtrack, which also features a cover of Prince's earlier hit "Kiss", sung byNicole Kidman andHugh Jackman. In January 2007, "The Song of the Heart" won aGolden Globe for Best Original Song.[162]
2007–2010: Super Bowl XLI show,Planet Earth andLotusflower
On February 4, 2007, Prince played at theSuper Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami, Florida, on a large stage shaped like his symbol. The event was carried to 140 million television viewers, his biggest-ever audience.[163] His 12-minute performance in the rain began with an intro of the Queen song "We Will Rock You" and concluded with "Purple Rain".[164] In 2015,Billboard ranked it the greatest Super Bowl performance ever.[165]
Prince played 21 concerts atthe O2 Arena in London during theEarth Tour in mid-2007. Tickets for the 20,000-capacity venue were capped by Prince at £31.21 ($48.66). FeaturingMaceo Parker in his band, Prince's residency at the O2 Arena was increased to 15 nights after all 140,000 tickets for the original seven sold out in 20 minutes,[166] before it was then further extended to 21 nights.[167]
Prince performed with Sheila E. at the 2007ALMA Awards. On June 28, 2007, theMail on Sunday stated that it had made a deal to give Prince's new album,Planet Earth, away for free with the paper, making it the first place in the world to get the album. This move sparked controversy among music distributors and also led the UK arm of Prince's distributor,Sony BMG, to withdraw from distributing the album in UK stores.[168] The UK's largest high street music retailer,HMV, stocked the paper on release day due to the giveaway. On July 7, 2007, Prince returned to Minneapolis to perform three shows. He performed concerts at theMacy's Auditorium (to promote his new perfume "3121") onNicollet Mall, theTarget Center arena, andFirst Avenue.[169] It was the first time he had played at First Avenue (the club appeared in the filmPurple Rain) since 1987.[170]
From 2008, Prince was managed by UK-based Kiran Sharma.[171] On April 25, 2008, Prince performed onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he debuted a new song, "Turn Me Loose". Days after, he headlined the 2008Coachella Festival. Prince was paid more than $5 million for his performance at Coachella, according toReuters.[172] Prince canceled a concert, planned at Dublin'sCroke Park on June 16, 2008, at 10 days' notice. In October 2009 promotersMCD Productions went to court to sue him for €1.6 million to refund 55,126 tickets. Prince settled the case out of court in February 2010 for $2.95 million.[173][174] During the trial, it was said that Prince had been offered $22 million for seven concerts as part of a proposed 2008 European tour.[175] In October 2008, Prince released a live album entitledIndigo Nights, a collection of songs performed live at aftershows in the IndigO2.
Prince premiered four songs from his new album on LA's Indie rock radio stationIndie 103.1 on December 18, 2008.[176] The radio station's programmers Max Tolkoff andMark Sovel had been invited to Prince's home to hear the new rock-oriented music. Prince gave them a CD with four songs to premiere on their radio station. The music debuted the next day on Jonesy's Jukebox, hosted by formerSex PistolSteve Jones.[177]
On January 3, 2009, the new website LotusFlow3r.com was launched; streaming and selling some of the recently aired material and concert tickets. On January 31, Prince released two more songs on LotusFlow3r.com: "Disco Jellyfish", and "Another Boy". "Chocolate Box", "Colonized Mind", and "All This Love" were later released on the website. Prince released a triple album set containingLotusflower,MPLSoUND, and an album credited toBria Valente, calledElixer, on March 24, 2009, followed by a physical release on March 29.
On July 18, 2009, Prince performed two shows at theMontreux Jazz Festival, backed by the New Power Generation, including Rhonda Smith, Renato Neto andJohn Blackwell. On October 11, 2009, he gave two surprise concerts at theGrand Palais in Paris.[178] On October 12, he gave another surprise performance atLa Cigale. On October 24, Prince played a concert at Paisley Park.[179]
2010–2016: Final albums
Prince photographed by paparazzi inParis, France in 2010
In 2010, Prince was listed inTime's annual ranking of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".[182] He released a new single onMinneapolis-St. Paul radio station89.3 The Current called "Hot Summer" on June 7, his 52nd birthday. The same month, Prince appeared on the cover of the July 2010 issue ofEbony magazine,[183] and he received theLifetime Achievement Award at the 2010BET Awards.[184]
Prince released his album20Ten in July 2010 as a freecovermount with publications in the UK, Belgium, Germany, and France.[185] He refused album access to digital download services and closed LotusFlow3r.com. On July 4, 2010, Prince began his20Ten Tour, a concert tour in two legs, with shows in Europe. The second leg began on October 15[186] and ended with a concert following theAbu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 14.[187] The second half of the tour had a new band, John Blackwell,Ida Kristine Nielsen, and Sheila E.[188] Prince let radio stationEurope 1 debut the snippet of his new song "Rich Friends" from the new album20Ten Deluxe on October 8, 2010.[189] He embarked on theWelcome 2 Tour on December 15, 2010.[190] Prince was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame on December 7, 2010.[191]
Prince performing in Paris in 2011
Prince presentedBarbra Streisand with an award and donated $1.5 million to charities on February 12, 2011.[192] On the same day, it was reported that he had not authorized the television showGlee to cover his hit "Kiss", in an episode that had already been filmed.[193] Prince headlined theHop Farm Festival on July 3, 2011, marking his first UK show since 2007 and his first-ever UK festival appearance.[194] Despite having previously rejected the Internet for music distribution, on November 24, 2011, he released a reworked version of the previously unreleased song "Extraloveable" through bothiTunes andSpotify.[195] Purple Music, a Switzerland-based record label, released a CD single titled "Dance 4 Me" on December 12, 2011, as part of a club remixes package including the Bria Valente CD single "2 Nite" released on February 23, 2012. The CD features club remixes by Jamie Lewis and David Alexander, produced by Prince.[196]
In January 2013, Prince released alyric video for a new song called "Screwdriver".[197] In April 2013, Prince announced a West Coast tour titledLive Out Loud Tour with3rdeyegirl as his backing band.[198] The final two dates of the first leg of the tour were in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where former Revolution drummer Bobby Z. sat in as guest drummer on both shows.[199] In May, Prince announced a deal with Kobalt Music to market and distribute his music.[200] On August 14, 2013, Prince released a new solo single for download through the 3rdeyegirl.com website.[201] The single "Breakfast Can Wait" had cover art featuring comedianDave Chappelle's impersonation of him, from a 2004 second-seasonChappelle's Show comedy sketch onComedy Central.[202]
In February 2014, he performed concerts with 3rdeyegirl in London titled theHit and Run Tour. Beginning with intimate shows, the first was held at the London home of singerLianne La Havas, followed by two performances of what Prince described as a "sound check" at theElectric Ballroom inCamden,[203] and another atShepherd's Bush Empire.[204] On April 18, 2014, Prince released a new single entitled "The Breakdown". He re-signed with his former label, Warner Bros. Records after an 18-year split.[205] Warner announced that Prince would release a remastered deluxe edition ofPurple Rain in 2014 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album. In return, Warner gave Prince ownership of the master recordings of his recordings with the company.[206][207]
In February 2014, Prince began what was billed as his "Hit N Run Part One" tour. This involved Prince's Twitter followers keeping an avid eye on second-by-second information as to the whereabouts of his shows. Many of these shows would only be announced on the day of the concert, and many of these concerts involved two performances: amatinee and an evening show. These shows began atCamden's Electric Ballroom, billed as "Soundchecks", and spread throughout the UK capital to KoKo Club, in Camden, Shepherd's Bush Empire and various other small venues. After his London dates, he moved on to other European cities. In May 2014, Prince began his "Hit N Run Part Two" shows, which followed a more normal style of purchasing tickets online and being held in music arenas. In Spring 2014, he launched NPG Publishing, a music company to administer his own music and that of other artists without the restrictions of mainstream record companies.[208]
In May 2015, following thekilling of Freddie Gray in police custody and the subsequentriots, Prince released a song, "Baltimore", in tribute to Gray and in support of the protesters in that city.[209][210][211][212] He also held a tribute concert for Gray at his Paisley Park estate called "Dance Rally 4 Peace" in which he encouraged fans to wear the color gray in honor of Freddie Gray.[213] On May 10, he performed a special concert at theRoyal Farms Arena inBaltimore called "Rally 4 Peace", which featured a special appearance byBaltimore State's AttorneyMarilyn Mosby, and one set performed by Prince alone at a keyboard.[214]
Prince'spenultimate album,Hit n Run Phase One, was first made available on September 7, 2015, on the music streaming serviceTidal before being released on CD and for download on September 14.[215] His final album,Hit n Run Phase Two, was meant as a continuation of this, and was released on Tidal for streaming and download on December 12, 2015.[216] In February 2016, Prince embarked on thePiano & A Microphone Tour, a tour that saw his show stripped back to only him and a custom piano on stage. He performed a series of warm-up shows at Paisley Park in late January 2016 and the tour commenced inMelbourne, Australia, on February 16, 2016, to critical acclaim.[217] The Australian and New Zealand legs of the tour were played in small-capacity venues, including theSydney Opera House.Hit n Run Phase Two CDs were distributed to every attendee after each performance. The tour continued to the United States but was abruptly cut short by illness in April 2016.
Following his death, fans left flowers, purple balloons and other mementos beneath Prince's star painted on the front of the First Avenue nightclub.
Prince sawDoctor Michael T. Schulenberg,[218] alocal specialist infamily medicine, inExcelsior on April 7, 2016, and again on April 20.[219] On April 7, he postponed two performances at theFox Theatre inAtlanta from hisPiano & a Microphone Tour; the venue released a statement saying he had influenza.[220] He rescheduled and performed what was to be his final show on April 14, despite still not feeling well.[221][222] While flying back to the Twin Cities early the next morning, he became unresponsive, and his private jet made an emergency landing atQuad Cities International Airport inMoline, Illinois, where he was hospitalized and receivednaloxone, a medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially following an overdose. Once he became conscious, he left against medical advice.[223][224] Representatives said he was dehydrated and had had influenza for several weeks.[221] Prince was seen cycling the next day in his hometown ofChanhassen.[225] He shopped that evening at theElectric Fetus in Minneapolis forRecord Store Day and made a brief appearance at an impromptu dance party at his Paisley Park recording studio complex, stating that he was feeling fine.[222][226] On April 19, he attended a performance by singerLizz Wright at theDakota Jazz Club.[227]
On April 20, 2016, Prince's representatives called Howard Kornfeld, a California specialist in addiction medicine and pain management, seeking medical help for the star. Kornfeld scheduled to meet with him on April 22, and he contacted a local physician who cleared his schedule for an exam on April 21.[223][228] On April 21, at 9:43 am, theCarver County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call requesting an ambulance be sent to Prince's home at Paisley Park. The caller initially told the dispatcher that an unidentified person at the home was unconscious, then moments later said he was dead, and finally identified the person as Prince.[229] The caller was Kornfeld's son, who had flown in withbuprenorphine that morning to devise a treatment plan foropioid addiction.[223] Emergency responders found Prince unresponsive in an elevator and performedCPR, but a paramedic said he had already been dead for at least six hours,[230] and they were unable to revive him. They pronounced him dead at 10:07 am, 19 minutes after their arrival.[223] There were no signs of suicide or foul play.[223] A press release from the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office inAnoka County on June 2 stated that Prince had died of an accidentaloverdose offentanyl,[231] at the age of 57.[232]
The fentanyl that led to his overdose was laced in counterfeithydrocodone/paracetamol pills.[233] The question of how and from what source Prince obtained the drug was the subject of investigations by several law enforcement agencies.[224][228][230] Asealed search warrant was issued for his estate,[234] and another unsealed search warrant was issued for the localWalgreens pharmacy.[235] On April 19, 2018, the Carver County Attorney announced that the multi-agency investigation had ended with no criminal charges filed.[236][237] The investigation did reveal that Prince was addicted to opioids.[238][233][239]
Following an autopsy performed by A. Quinn Strobl,[240] Prince's remains were cremated.[241] On April 26, 2016, Prince's sister Tyka Nelson filed court documents in Carver County, to open aprobate case, stating that no will had been found. As of his death, the twice-divorced Prince was neither married nor known to have fathered any surviving children. Under Minnesota law, theabsence of a will meant that, in addition to his full sister, Prince's five half-siblings also had a claim to an estate totaling millions of dollars in cash as well as real estate, stocks, and cars.[242][243] Within three weeks of his death, 700 people claimed to be half-siblings or descendants.[244]Bremer Trust was given temporary control of his estate, had his vault drilled open,[245] and was authorized to obtain a blood sample forDNA profiling from the coroner who had performed the autopsy.[246]
Prince's ashes were placed into a custom3D-printed urn shaped like the Paisley Park estate.[247] The urn, which was co-designed by his sister Tyka and her son President, was placed on display in the atrium of the Paisley Park complex in October 2016.[248][249] As of April 2019[update], no additional estate claimants were recognized by the courts besides Prince's full sister and five half-siblings.[250] It was reported in August 2022 that the Prince estate had settled. Filings in the Minnesota First Judicial District ordered that the cash in Prince's estate be split evenly between Prince Legacy LLC and Prince OAT Holdings LLC.[251]
Remembrances and reactions
Lowry Bridge in Minneapolis illuminated in purple, in remembrance of Prince
Numerous musicians and cultural figures reacted to Prince's death.[252][253] PresidentObama mourned him,[254] and theUnited States Senate passed a resolution praising his achievements "as a musician, composer, innovator, and cultural icon".[255] Cities across the U.S. held tributes andvigils, and lit buildings, bridges, and other structures in purple.[256][257][258] In the first five hours after the media reported his death, "Prince" was the top trending (most-used) term on Twitter, and Facebook had 61 million Prince-related interactions.[259]AMC Theatres andCarmike Cinemas screenedPurple Rain in select theaters over the following week.[260]Saturday Night Live aired an episode in his honor, titled "Goodnight, Sweet Prince", featuring his performances from the show.[261]
Nielsen Music reported that sales of his material spiked 42,000 percent.[2] The artist's catalog sold 4.41 million albums and songs from April 21 to 28, with five albums simultaneously in the top ten of theBillboard 200, a first in the chart's history.[262] At the59th Grammy Awards,Morris Day with the Time andBruno Mars performed a tribute.[263]
The May 2, 2016, cover ofThe New Yorker featured an illustration of purple rain.[264] In June 2016Vanity Fair/Condé Nast, released a special edition commemorative magazine,The Genius of Prince. It celebrated the star's life and achievements, with new photography and archive articles, including the originalVanity Fair article from November 1984, written in the wake of the singer-songwriter's breakout success, with other content from the magazine,The New Yorker,Wired, andPitchfork. The cover ofThe Genius of Prince featured a portrait byAndy Warhol,Orange Prince (1984).[82][265][266] Casts of the musicalsThe Color Purple andHamilton paid tribute to the star during theircurtain calls with "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy", respectively.[267]
In 2016, Minnesota representativeJoe Atkins introduced a bill in the state legislature to memorialize Prince with a statue in theNational Statuary Hall in theUnited States Capitol, in recognition of his contributions to music and the state of Minnesota. As of 2020, however, the bill has not had a second reading.[268]
The first posthumous release from the Estate was4Ever on November 22, 2016. It was a compilation of Prince's hits plus one previously unreleased song, "Moonbeam Levels", originally recorded for the1999 sessions in 1982.[270]
On February 9, 2017, Prince's estate signed a distribution deal withUniversal Music Group, which includes the post-1995 recordings on his NPG Records label and unreleased tracks from his vault.[271] On June 27,Comerica (acting on behalf of the estate) requested that Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide cancel the estate's deal with Universal, as UMG's contract would interfere with a contract withWarner Music Group that Prince signed in 2014. After Universal's attorneys were granted access to the Warner contract, the attorneys also offered to cancel the deal.[272] On July 13, the court voided Universal's deal with Prince's estate, though Universal will continue to administer Prince's songwriting credits and create merchandise.[273]
On April 19, an EP featuring six unreleased Prince recordings,Deliverance, was announced with an expected release date for later that week.[274] The next day, Prince's estate was granted a temporary restraining order against George Ian Boxill, an engineer who co-produced the tracks and was in possession of the master tapes, and halted the release of the EP.[275]
On June 23, adeluxe reissue ofPurple Rain was released.[276] The most expansive edition contained the first being a remaster of the original album made in 2015 and overseen by Prince himself, a bonus disc of previously unheard material calledFrom the Vault & Previously Unreleased plus single and maxi-single edits, B-sides and the first DVD issue ofPrince and the Revolution: Live recorded in Syracuse on thePurple Rain Tour.[277] The album debuted at No. 4 on theBillboard 200 and at No. 1 on both theBillboard R&B Albums and Vinyl Albums charts.[276]
In April 2018, the previously unreleased original recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" from 1984 was released as a single.[278] A music video was also released consisting of edited rehearsal footage shot in the summer of 1984.[279] Troy Carter, adviser for Prince's estate, later announced in an interview withVariety that a full-length album was planned for release on September 28.[280]
In June of that year, the Prince estate signed a distribution deal withSony Music Entertainment including the rights to all of Prince's studio albums, plus unreleased music, remixes, live recordings, music videos and B-sides.[281] From 2021 onwards, Prince's Warner Bros. albums from 1978–1996 are distributed by Sony/Legacy Recordings in the United States, with Warner Music Group still controlling the international rights.[282]
On August 17, all 23 post-Warner Bros. albums by Prince were released digitally on streaming platforms, together with a new compilation album entitledAnthology: 1995–2010.[283] Only one song remained unavailable to stream, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", due to aplagiarism lawsuit inItaly that was not resolved until 2022. On September 21,Piano and a Microphone 1983 was released, an intimate recording of Prince privately rehearsing with a piano.[284]
The Sony/Legacy reissues began in 2019. Throughout that year,Musicology,3121,Planet Earth,Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic,Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic,Chaos and Disorder andEmancipation were reissued on CD and vinyl.Ultimate Rave was also released, a 2 CD and 1 DVD set which included the concert film ofRave Un2 the Year 2000.[285][286]The Versace Experience - Prelude 2 Gold was also reissued forRecord Store Day.[287]
In June, a compilation of Prince's original recordings of songs given to other artists, entitledOriginals, was released - initially exclusively throughTIDAL, then later on CD and vinyl.[288] In October, a single of Prince's previously unheard originalacoustic demo of "I Feel for You"[289] was released digitally and as a limited 7" single.
In October 2019, Prince's incomplete memoirThe Beautiful Ones was published byRandom House.[290] Prince had worked on the memoir project withDan Piepenbring [de] during thePiano and a Microphone Tour in 2016 and had managed to complete around 50 pages before his death.[291] The book includes those pages plus a lengthy account by Piepenbring of how the project came to be, a scrapbook of rare personal photos and miscellanea from the vault, and Prince's original handwritten concept for the filmPurple Rain.
In November,a Deluxe reissue of1999 was released. This reissue had several configurations, the most expansive including 35 previously unreleased songs and two live concerts.[292]
Since 2020
In 2020, aSuper Deluxe reissue ofSign o' the Times was released. This reissue had various configurations, with the most expansive containing the original album, the single and maxi-single mixes, related B-sides, plus 45 previously unissued studio tracks, a live show from theSign o' the Times Tour inUtrecht plus a DVD featuring the New Year's Eve 1987 show at Paisley Park.[293]Pitchfork rated the Super Deluxe version 10 out of 10 and named it Best New Reissue.[294]In June 2021,The Truth was reissued on vinyl forRecord Store Day.[295] The following month saw the release ofWelcome 2 America, a completely unheard album originally recorded and shelved in 2010.[296]In 2022,Prince and the Revolution: Live was reissued on Blu-Ray, along with the soundtrack which was also released on CD and vinyl for the first time.[297] This year also saw the release of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" on streaming services. It had previously been unavailable due to aplagiarism lawsuit inItaly which the estate has now resolved; Bruno Bergonzi and Michele Vicino are now legally recognized as co-writers in Italy.[298]
In 2023,a Super Deluxe reissue ofDiamonds and Pearls was released, containing the original album plus remixes and B-sides from this era, 33 previously unheard tracks and a Blu-ray of a live concert recorded at Glam Slam in Minneapolis as a rehearsal for the 1992Diamonds and Pearls Tour.[299]
As of 2024, anine-hour documentary on Prince was produced byEzra Edelman for release onNetflix.[300] The estate were reportedly unhappy with the project, considering it a "sensationalized" depiction of his life. A few people saw a rough cut of the film;[301] one of them, Sasha Weiss, wrote inThe New York Times Magazine that it contained at least one instance of a former girlfriend accusing him of abuse. She said "We're asked to sit with Prince's multiplying paradoxes for many hours, allowing them to unsettle one another".[300] In February 2025, the project was officially cancelled and it was announced that "a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince's archive" would be produced by the estate instead; this has been described as "a watered-down take, to placate the powers that be".[301] The Prince estate's social media accounts then posted a video of a vault door being opened with the caption "The vault is free."[302]
Prince is often credited as a major influence on modernpopular music,[303][304][305] and in the view ofBillboard he is "the greatest musician of his generation".[7]Simon Reynolds called him a "pop polymath, flitting betweenfunkadelia,acid rock, deep soul,schmaltz—often within the same song".[306] TheLos Angeles Times called Prince "our first post-everything pop star, defying easy categories of race, genre and commercial appeal".[307]Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times described him as "a master architect of funk, rock, R&B and pop", and highlighted his ability to defy labels.[308]Geoffrey Himes described him as a leading artist in "a tradition of left-wing black music", or "progressive soul", although even he conceded the term may be "too narrow".[309]Los Angeles Times writer Randall Roberts called Prince "among the most versatile and restlessly experimental pop artists of our time," writing that his "early work connecteddisco and synthetic funk [while his] fruitful mid-period merged rock, soul, R&B andsynth-pop."[310]AllMusic wrote that, "With each album he released, Prince showed remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures, and genres [...] no other contemporary artist blended so many diverse styles into a cohesive whole."[311] Jon Pareles has named Prince among the "pantheon" of artists in thealbum era, in which the album format was the dominant form of recorded music expression and consumption.[312]
A costume worn by Prince and associated memorabilia, displayed at aHard Rock Cafe in Australia
As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant style and showmanship.[308] He came to be regarded as asex symbol for his androgynous, amorphous sexuality,[313] play with signifiers ofgender,[314][315] and defiance ofracial stereotypes.[316] His "audacious, idiosyncratic" fashion sense made use of "ubiquitous purple, alluring makeup and frilled garments".[307] His androgynous look has been compared to those ofLittle Richard,[313][317][318]Marc Bolan,[319] andDavid Bowie.[320] In 2016, Reynolds described it as "Prince's '80s evasion of conventional gender definitions speaks to us now in this trans-aware moment. But it also harks backwards in time to the origins of rock 'n' roll in racial mixture and sexual blurring".[319] Prince was known for the strong female presence in his bands and his support for women in the music industry throughout his career.[321]Slate said he worked with an "astounding range of female stars" and "promised a world where men and women looked and acted like each other".[322] Prince also wore high-heeled shoes and boots both on and off-stage.
Rolling Stone ranked Prince at No. 27 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists, "the most influential artists of the rock & roll era".[153] In 2023, the same magazine ranked him at No. 16 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[323] In 2010, Prince was ranked number 7 onVH1's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".[324] In 2003,Rolling Stone's500 Greatest Albums of All Time list includedPurple Rain at number 72,[325]Sign o' the Times at number 93,[326]1999 at number 163,[327] andDirty Mind at number 204.[328] In 2004, on their500 Greatest Songs of All Time list,Rolling Stone included "When Doves Cry" at number 52, "Little Red Corvette" at number 108, "Purple Rain" at number 143, "1999" at number 212, "Sign o' the Times" at number 299, and "Kiss" at number 461.[329]
Prince has been compared withjazz artistMiles Davis in regard to the artistic changes throughout his career.[352][362] Davis said he regarded Prince as an otherworldly blend of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix,Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone, Little Richard, Duke Ellington, andCharlie Chaplin.[363][355][364] Prince and Miles Davis performed together in December 1987 for a Charity Event at Paisley Park. This performance was viewed as the pinnacle of their on-again, off-again partnership.[14]
JournalistNik Cohn described him as "rock's greatest ever natural talent".[365] Prince had a wide vocal range fromfalsetto tobaritone, and performed rapid, seemingly effortless shifts ofregister.[366] Prince was also renowned as a multi-instrumentalist.[320][367] He is considered a guitar virtuoso and a master of drums, percussion, bass, keyboards, and synthesizer.[368] On his first five albums, he played nearly all the instruments,[369] including 27 instruments on his debut album,[370] among them various types of bass, keyboards and synthesizers. Prince was also quick to embrace technology in his music,[371] making pioneering use ofdrum machines like theLinn LM-1 on his early '80s albums and employing a wide range of studio effects.[372] TheLA Times also noted his "harnessing [of] new-generation synthesizer sounds in service of the groove", laying the foundations for post-'70s funk music.[310] Prince was also known for his prolific and virtuosic tendencies, which resulted in him recording large amounts of unreleased material.[373]
Prince also wrote songs for other artists, and some songs of his were covered by musicians, such as the hit songs "Manic Monday" (performed by the Bangles), "I Feel for You", originally on Prince's self-titled second album from 1979, covered by Chaka Khan, and "Nothing Compares 2 U", written for Prince's side projectthe Family, and covered very successfully by Sinéad O'Connor. Prince co-wrote "Love... Thy Will Be Done" with singerMartika, for her second album,Martika's Kitchen, and also giftedCeline Dion a song for her second album,Celine Dion, titled "With This Tear"; it was a song Prince had written specifically for her.[374] Prince also wrote "U" forPaula Abdul, appearing on her 1991 releaseSpellbound.
Equipment
Signature and custom guitars
HS Anderson/Hohner Madcat Telecaster copy (197?)
Cloud Guitar White (1983)
Cloud Guitar Gold (1983)
Model C (19??)
Cloud Guitar Yellow (1989)
Cloud Guitar Blue (19??)
Gold Fender Stratocaster (????)
Prince Symbol Purple (19??)
Prince Symbol Gold (199?)
G1 Purple Special (2007)
Gus G3 Prince Bass (2016)
A guitar virtuoso, Prince was also known to have a stylish and flamboyant custom guitar collection, which consisted of 121 guitars.[375][376] One notable series is his Cloud Guitars, which were commissioned and released in colored versions of white, yellow and purple. The white version is prominently shown in thePurple Rain film and the "Raspberry Beret" video.[377][378] Other notable guitars are The Love Symbol guitars, which were designed in the separate colors of gold and purple. The guitar that was used for the majority of Prince's music career was the H.S. Anderson Madcat guitar – aTelecaster copy created byHohner. Several versions of the guitar were used throughout his career – due to one being donated for charitable reasons, while one or more were stolen.[379][380] Another guitar primarily used in his later years was theVox HDC-77, which was introduced to him by 3rdeyegirl member Ida Kristine Nielsen, both a Blackburst version, and a White Ivory version.[381] Two other noteworthy guitars are the G1 Purple Special, and the black-and-gold Gus G3 Prince bass, which would become the last two guitars to ever be made for him.[382][383][384][385]
Legal issues
Pseudonyms
In 1993, during negotiations regarding the release ofThe Gold Experience, a legal battle ensued between Warner Bros. and Prince over the artistic and financial control of his musical output. During the lawsuit, Prince appeared in public with the word "slave" written on his cheek.[386] He explained that he had changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to emancipate himself from his contract with Warner Bros., and that he had done it out of frustration because he felt his own name now belonged to the company.[387][388]
Prince sometimes used pseudonyms to separate himself from the music he had written, produced or recorded, and at one point stated that his ownership and achievement were strengthened by the act of giving away ideas.[134] Pseudonyms he adopted, at various times, include:Jamie Starr andThe Starr Company (for the songs he wrote for the Time and many other artists from 1981 to 1984),Joey Coco (for many unreleased Prince songs in the late 1980s, as well as songs written for Sheena Easton andKenny Rogers),Alexander Nevermind (for writing the song "Sugar Walls" [1984] by Sheena Easton), andChristopher (used for his songwriting credit of "Manic Monday" [1986] for the Bangles).
Copyright issues
On September 14, 2007, Prince announced that he was going to sue YouTube andeBay, because they hosted his copyrighted material, and he hired the international Internet-policing companyWeb Sheriff.[389][390] In October,Stephanie Lenz filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Publishing Group claiming that they were abusing copyright law after the music publisher had YouTube take down Lenz's home movie in which the Prince song "Let's Go Crazy" played faintly in the background.[391][392] On November 5, several Prince fan sites formed "Prince Fans United" to fight back against legal requests which, they claim, Prince made to prevent all use of photographs, images, lyrics, album covers, and anything linked to his likeness.[393] Prince's lawyers claimed that this constitutedcopyright infringement; Prince Fans United said that the legal actions were "attempts to stifle all critical commentary about Prince". Prince's promoterAEG stated that the only offending items on the three fansites were live shots from Prince's 21 nights in London atthe O2 Arena earlier in the year.[394]
On November 8, Prince Fans United received a song named "PFUnk", providing a kind of "unofficial answer" to their movement. The song originally debuted on the PFU main site,[395] was retitled "F.U.N.K.", but this is not one of the selected songs available on theiTunes Store. On November 14, the satirical websiteb3ta.com pulled their "image challenge of the week" devoted to Prince after legal threats from the star under theDigital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).[396]
At the 2008Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Prince performed a cover ofRadiohead's "Creep"; however, immediately afterward, he forced YouTube and other sites to remove footage that fans had taken of the performance despite Radiohead's request to leave it on the website.[397] Days later, YouTube reinstated the videos, as Radiohead had said: "It's our song, let people hear it." In 2009, Prince put the video of the Coachella performance on his official website.[citation needed]
In 2010, Prince declared: "the internet is completely over", elaborating five years later that "the internet was over for anyone who wants to get paid... tell me a musician who's got rich off digital sales".[366]
In 2013, theElectronic Frontier Foundation granted Prince the inaugural "Raspberry Beret Lifetime Aggrievement Award"[398] for what they said was abuse of the DMCA takedown process.[399]
In January 2014, Prince filed a lawsuit titledPrince v. Chodera against 22 online users for direct copyright infringement, unauthorized fixation, contributory copyright infringement, and bootlegging.[400] Several of the users were fans who had shared links to bootlegged versions of Prince concerts through social media websites like Facebook.[401][402] In the same month, he dismissed the entire action without prejudice.[403]
Prince was one of a small handful of musicians to deny"Weird Al" Yankovic requests to parody his music. (Yankovic does not always need legal permission to parody songs, but he requests artists' permission as a professional courtesy.)[404][405] By Yankovic's account, he'd done so "about a half-dozen times" and has been the sole artist not to give any explanation for his rejection beyond a flat "no".[406]
Personal life
Paisley Park, Prince's home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota
Prince had seven siblings, six of whom were half-siblings. As Prince had no will, the six siblings who survived him at the time of his death could inherit his estate.[407] As of November 2024, only three of them, half sisters Sharon and Norraine Nelson and half brother Omar Baker, are still living.[408] However, only the two surviving half sisters still have shares in Prince's estate.[408]
His half sister Lorna died in 2006. Another half brother Alfred Jackson died in August 2019.[409] On September 3, 2021, John R. Nelson, Prince's eldest half brother, died.[410] On November 4, 2024, musicianTyka Nelson, who was Prince's only full sibling,[411] died.[412][413] In July 2021, Omar Bakker and late half brother Alfred Jackson's interest would sell all of the shares they owned of Prince's estate toPrimary Wave Music, while Tyka Nelson would sell 90%.[408][414]
Relationships
Prince was romantically linked with many women over the years, includingKim Basinger,Madonna,Vanity,Jill Jones,Sheila E.,Carmen Electra,Susannah Melvoin,Ophélie Winter andSherilyn Fenn.[415][416][417][418][419] Susannah Melvoin recalled how, around the time ofSign o' the Times, "Wendy [Melvoin, her twin sister] and Lisa [Coleman] and I lived together and we would have [Prince] stay at our place. We became really close. He got to be in a family of three women, and we got to have our Prince. Not many people had that kind of relationship with him."[416]
In 1990, he saw 16-year-old dancerMayte García standing outside his tour bus and referred to her as his "future wife" when pointing her out to bandmate Rosie Gaines. García began working as one of his backup singers and dancers after graduating from high school. They were married on February 14, 1996, when he was 37 and she was 22.[420][421] According to García, she and Prince had a son named Amiir (born October 16, 1996), who died a week after being born due toPfeiffer syndrome. Attempts by publications to independently verify the child's name, birth, and cause of death proved difficult due to Prince's focus on privacy. The distress of losing a child and García's subsequent miscarriage took a toll on the marriage, and the couple divorced in 2000.[422][423]
Prince married Manuela Testolini, a Canadian businesswoman of Italian and Egyptian descent, in a private ceremony in 2001; she hails fromToronto, which led the couple to live there part-time.[424] They separated in 2005 and filed for divorce in May 2006,[425] which was finalized in October 2007.[426]
Religious beliefs
Prince was an observant religious person from childhood and throughout his life. An abiding love of God and Jesus were recurring themes in his work, often closely intertwined with romance, sexuality and sensuality on songs such as "I Would Die 4 U" and albums such asLovesexy. In March 2016, while discussing his childhood during a show inOakland, he told the audience:
I wanted to be like my father and I loved everything he loved — my mother, the Bible, and music.[427]
A complete recitation ofThe Lord's Prayer featured in the full-length album version of his 1981 hit "Controversy." His 1984 track "Darling Nikki", while dealing with explicit subject matter involving an encounter with a sex worker, contained the following backward message: "Hello, how are you?/Fine, fine, ’cause I know that the Lord is coming soon/Coming, coming soon." That same year, he released a B-side simply entitled "God."
Prince became aJehovah's Witness in 2001 as a result of his friendship with bassistLarry Graham. He did not consider it a conversion but a "realization", comparing his connection with Graham toMorpheus andNeo in the filmThe Matrix. He attended meetings at a localKingdom Hall and occasionally knocked on people's doors to discuss his faith.[428][429] His newfound faith would also heavily influence his 2001 albumThe Rainbow Children. The CD edition of his 2003 instrumental albumN.E.W.S contained anAdobe Flash file that slowly display the words "He Causes 2 Become" when the disc was inserted into a computer, being a reference to the name ofJehovah in Witness theology.[430]
Shortly after he became a Witness, former bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman reached out to him for a potential reunion of their 1980s band the Revolution. Melvoin claims he declined due to herlesbian andJewish identities, then asked her to hold a press conference in which she would disavow homosexuality and become a Jehovah's Witness herself. She resigned herself to never hearing from him again.[431] However, Prince later reunited with Melvoin in 2004 to perform a stripped-back acoustic version of the song "Reflection" on the Tavis Smiley Tonight Show[432] and subsequently performed "Purple Rain" with her and Coleman at theBrit Awards 2006. Anti-gay marriage comments were attributed to him in 2008 but later denied by his management[433] and walked back by him personally, as he later stated, "I have friends who are gay, and we study the Bible together."[434] Despite his ambiguous, contradictory and evolving personal convictions throughout his lifetime, Prince is often considered aqueer icon by his fans for his influence on music, fashion and culture in a manner infused with religious themes.[435][436][437][438]
García said of Prince's religious beliefs: "He was always a spiritual seeker ... fascinated in all possibilities to integrate thesigns of the zodiac andthird eye andreincarnation into the Christian beliefs hisBaptist mother and Seventh-day Adventist father had exposed him to."[439] At the time of his death, Prince's display picture onTwitter was an illustration of him with both eyes closed and a third eye on his forehead open.[440]
Political beliefs and activism
Prince rarely expressed partisan political beliefs directly for the majority of his career. However, he did not shy away from political themes and commentary in early songs such as "Partyup", "Ronnie Talk to Russia" (which directly addressed then-PresidentRonald Reagan), "America", "Sign O' the Times" and later "Money Don't Matter 2 Night", in part a protest against theGulf War. His 2002 song "Avalanche" contained the lyric "Abraham Lincoln was a racist" and discussed theThirteenth Amendment. In 2004, the music video for his single "Cinnamon Girl" depicted a young Muslim woman facingIslamophobia and racial abuse and then detonating a suicide bomb in a crowded airport, before revealing it had all been a dream.[441]
In a 2009 interview withTavis Smiley, when asked for his opinion on the recent election of Barack Obama, Prince replied that he did not vote for him and has in fact never voted at all. He also expressed a belief in thechemtrail conspiracy theory during the same interview.[442]
Towards the end of his life, Prince was a supporter ofBlack Lives Matter. According toAl Sharpton, he donated to the family ofTrayvon Martin in 2012 and later arranged forEric Garner's family to attend one of his concerts.[443] Before handing out the Grammy for Best Album in 2015, he told the audience, "Albums — remember those? Albums still matter. Albums, like books and black lives, still matter.”[444] He organized a "Rally 4 Peace" concert in the city ofBaltimore in the aftermath of thekilling of Freddie Gray.[445] The following day, he released a single entitled "Baltimore" with lyrics that mentioned Gray andMichael Brown. The music video for "Baltimore" featured footage of Black Lives Matter protests in the city, and closed with a message from Prince:
The system is broken. It’s going to take the young people to fix it this time. We need new ideas, new life.[446]
Animal rights
Prince was ananimal rights activist who followed avegan diet for part of his life but later described himself as vegetarian.[447][448][449] He previously adhered to apescetarian diet in the 2000s,[450][451] and, according to an interview with theVegetarian Times, Prince first expressed curiosity in removing meat from his diet around 1987 when he ceased eating allred meat.[447] Prince required Paisley Park guests and staff to maintain a vegetarian diet or pescetarian diet while present in order to keep the environment meatless. In honor of Prince's personal ethos, Paisley Park continues to require that individuals leave the premises if they would like to eat meat.[452] Theliner notes for his albumRave Un2 the Joy Fantastic featured a message about the cruelty involved inwool production.[453]
Charitable endeavors
Prince did not speak publicly about his charitable endeavors. The extent of his activism, philanthropy, and charity was only publicized after his death, and much of it remains undocumented.[454]
In 2001, he anonymously donated $12,000 to theLouisville Free Public Library system to keep the historicWestern Branch Library (the country's first full-service library for African-Americans) from closure.[455] That same year, he anonymously paid off the medical bills of drummerClyde Stubblefield, who was undergoing cancer treatment.[456]
In 2015, he conceived and launchedYesWeCode, paying for manyhackathons outright and performing musical acts at some of them.[454][457] He also helped fund theGreen for All initiative.[454]
Prince has been honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue,[471] recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue.[472] Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis", according to journalist Steve Marsh.[473] The Revolution also has a star on the mural, to the immediate right of Prince's. Originally painted silver like the other stars on the mural, Prince's star was repainted in gold leaf during the night of May 4, 2016, about two weeks after Prince's death.[474] Originally anonymous, the artist was revealed a few months later to be graphic designer and graffiti artist Peyton Russell, who had worked for Prince at his club Glam Slam in the 1990s and wanted to pay tribute.[475]
^Norment, Lynn (January 1997)."The Artist Formerly Known as Prince".Ebony. p. 130. RetrievedApril 21, 2016.While he retains the publishing rights to all his songs, Warner Brothers owns the master tapes to the 20 albums precedingEmancipation.
^Sever, Brooke (September 28, 2010)."Kanye West and Prince join F1 line-up".digitalproductionme. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. RetrievedOctober 15, 2010.
^Strobl, A. Quinn (M.D.)."Press Release June 2, 2016" (Press release). Midwest Medical Examiner's Office.Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. RetrievedJune 2, 2016.
^Coscarelli, Joe (April 21, 2016)."Prince Is Dead at 57".The New York Times.Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. RetrievedApril 21, 2016.
^Cole, Harriette (July 2010)."Ebony - Prince Writes".Prince interview archive.Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2022.PRINCE: Actually, 1st influence was Ike Turner.
^Gonzales, Michael A. (April 1996)."Mighty Mighty".Vibe. p. 81. RetrievedApril 22, 2016.Mayfield—whose massive body of work has influenced everyone from Lenny Kravitz, Prince, and Vernon Reid to countless other soul singers, new jack producers, and hip hop heads—will never play the guitar again.
^Lester, Paul;Chip, Hot (July 25, 2008)."That's one potent hot toddy".The Guardian.Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. RetrievedApril 22, 2016.He [Todd Rundgren] was a hero to the young Prince, who would try to get backstage to meet the gangly whizzkid multi-instrumentalist with the long, rainbow-coloured hair; [...]
^Hawkins & Niblock 2012: "Evidence of Prince's desire to control everything was blatantly apparent in the presentation of the credits on the album's sleeve: produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince and a listing of the 27 instruments he played."
^Kennedy, Dana; Sinclair, Tom (December 20, 1996)."Prince's Saddest Song".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. RetrievedMay 12, 2016.
"(Pussy Pussy Pussy) Whose Kitty Cat Are You?" – Music and Lyrics by Marvin Montgomery (1996)
The entire song score fromThe Postman – Music and Lyrics by Jeffrey Barr, Glenn Burke, John Coinman, Joe Flood, Blair Forward, Maria Machado, and Jono Manson (1997)
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