Legendary Artist Prince Found Dead at 57

Prince, a prolific multi-instrumentalist and virtuosic performer, was found dead at his home and recording studio in Minnesota early on Thursday, his publicist confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. 

“When deputies and medical personnel arrived, they found an unresponsive adult male in the elevator,” said Carver County sheriff Jim Olson in a statement. “First responders attempted to provide lifesaving CPR, but were unable to revive the victim.”

Deputies arrived at the residence at 9:43 a.m. after being called and Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m., the sheriff’s office said. An autopsy will be performed by the Midwest medical examiner’s office on Friday.

The Carver County Sheriff’s Office released the transcript of the 911 call (attached in full below), which came from an unidentified male at Prince’s Paisley Park residence who said “the person is dead here” and “the people are just distraught.”

The performer was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis.

He released his debut album, For You, in 1978, followed by Prince (1979), Dirty Mind (1980) and Controversy (1981). All of them traded in his trademark sound — deep synth funk grooves with provocatively sexual lyrics and heart-piercing ballads sung in pure falsetto.

His mainstream breakthrough came with back-to-back albums with his backing band the Revolution: In 1982, 1999 launched several pop and dance floor hits onto the charts, including “Little Red Corvette” and the title song, a post-apocalyptic party anthem.