CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) — Pop music superstar Prince has been found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis.
His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press the music icon was found dead at his home Thursday in Chanhassen.
Sheriff’s officials in Minnesota say deputies found Prince unresponsive in an elevator after they were summoned to his suburban Minneapolis compound.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson says first responders tried CPR but couldn’t revive the 57-year-old musician. Olson says Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Thursday, about half an hour after deputies arrived.
Olson says the death is under investigation.
Hundreds of fans have gathered outside Prince’s Paisley Park studio to mourn his death.
The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his era, drawing upon influences ranging from James Brown to the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix. His hits included “Little Red Corvette,” ”Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.”
The Minneapolis native broke through in the late 1970s with the hits “Wanna Be Your Lover” and soared over the following decade with such albums as “1999” and “Purple Rain.”
The title song from “1999” includes one of the most widely quoted refrains of popular culture: “Tonight I’m gonna party like it’s 1999.”
