Deluge of tributes for Prince

Tributes poured in from around the world Friday following the sudden death of superstar Prince at age 57, with fans flocking to all-night dance parties to celebrate the life of the "Purple Rain" music legend, reports AFP. As US authorities sought to shed light on the artist's mystery death in an elevator at his home and studio complex in Minnesota, buildings were lit in purple in memory of the performer hailed by President Barack Obama as a "creative icon."
In his hometown of Minneapolis, a huge crowd gathered outside the First Avenue club, where Prince recorded the film version of "Purple Rain," as well as outside the secluded compound where he was found dead Thursday.
Fans also gathered in other cities, including New York, where director Spike Lee led a Prince sing-along at a packed block party in Brooklyn. Prince's death came a week after the enigmatic Grammy and Oscar winner -- acclaimed for his guitar and keyboard skills and soaring falsetto -- was taken to a hospital with a flu-like illness that he later downplayed. The Carver County sheriff's office said that deputies responding to an emergency call found an "unresponsive" Prince in an elevator. Attempts to resuscitate him failed and he was pronounced dead at 10:07 am (1507 GMT), it said, adding that an investigation had been launched. The sheriff's office released a transcript of a 911 call from an unidentified man at the property who was asked if he was with the patient. "Yes -- it's Prince," he replied. The cause of death remained unclear. A spokeswoman for the Anoka County Midwest Medical Examiner's office told AFP that authorities would perform an autopsy on Friday.
Entertainment website TMZ, citing multiple unnamed sources, said the musician had been treated for a drug overdose in the week before his death, following a show in Atlanta. The singer was taken to hospital after his private jet made an unscheduled landing in Moline, Illinois, amid previous reports that he had been battling flu. "Multiple sources in Moline tell us Prince was rushed to a hospital and doctors gave him a 'save shot'... typically administered to counteract the effects of an opiate," TMZ said. Prince, while small in stature but a consummate live performer, became an international sensation in the 1980s, fusing rock and R&B into a highly danceable funk mix.

 

 

Deluge of tributes for Prince

Tributes poured in from around the world Friday following the sudden death of superstar Prince at age 57, with fans flocking to all-night dance parties to celebrate the life of the Purple Rain music legend, reports AFP. As US authorities sought to shed light on the artists mystery death in an elevator at his home and studio complex in Minnesota, buildings were lit in purple in memory of the performer hailed by President Barack Obama as a creative icon. In his hometown of Minneapolis, a huge crowd gathered outside the First Avenue club, where Prince recorded the film version of Purple Rain, as well as outside the secluded compound where he was found dead Thursday. Fans also gathered in other cities, including New York, where director Spike Lee led a Prince sing-along at a packed block party in Brooklyn. Princes death came a week after the enigmatic Grammy and Oscar winner -- acclaimed for his guitar and keyboard skills and soaring falsetto -- was taken to a hospital with a flu-like illness that he later downplayed. The Carver County sheriffs office said that deputies responding to an emergency call found an unresponsive Prince in an elevator. Attempts to resuscitate him failed and he was pronounced dead at 10:07 am (1507 GMT), it said, adding that an investigation had been launched. The sheriffs office released a transcript of a 911 call from an unidentified man at the property who was asked if he was with the patient. Yes -- its Prince, he replied. The cause of death remained unclear. A spokeswoman for the Anoka County Midwest Medical Examiners office told AFP that authorities would perform an autopsy on Friday. Entertainment website TMZ, citing multiple unnamed sources, said the musician had been treated for a drug overdose in the week before his death, following a show in Atlanta. The singer was taken to hospital after his private jet made an unscheduled landing in Moline, Illinois, amid previous reports that he had been battling flu. Multiple sources in Moline tell us Prince was rushed to a hospital and doctors gave him a save shot... typically administered to counteract the effects of an opiate, TMZ said. Prince, while small in stature but a consummate live performer, became an international sensation in the 1980s, fusing rock and RB into a highly danceable funk mix.