R.I.P. Prince, rock and roll innovator, dead at 57

Singer, guitarist, composer and style icon Prince Rogers Nelson – known and beloved the world around simply as Prince – has passed away. In an Associated Press report, his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, confirmed that he was found dead at his home today in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Details were not released.

Beginning in the Minneapolis scene in the mid-1970s and carrying across four decades, Prince wrote, recorded and released a prolific amount of music that broke down the walls of genre. His songs were stridently rock and roll, inspired by guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana. But he also delved deeply into the worlds of funk, soul and gospel, of R&B and pop, of experimental electronic, mixed up and reconfigured into a captivating, strongly sexual and remarkably catchy whole.

Like Bowie, he was chameleonic, bouncing between different styles, dabbling in a variety of aesthetics both sonic and visual. From one album to the next, you never knew what Prince was going to do or look like or sound like next, and that was part of the allure in being a fan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NN3gsSf-Ys

He released 39 studio albums, four live albums, plus a variety of work with The New Power Generation, and Madhouse; his parade of hits includes “1999,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Raspberry Beret,” “Kiss,” “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” “Purple Rain” and the immortal “When Doves Cry.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYVOrzv61Yg

When he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the dedication said the following: “Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone. From the beginning, Prince and his music were androgynous, sly, sexy and provocative.”

Cue up to 3:29 to watch him smoke the guitar solo on the Rock Hall performance with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and more. And leave your memories about Prince’s music in the comments.