Iconic musician Prince Rogers Nelson, known to the world simply as Prince, has died in his Minnesota recording studio at the age of 57, according to TMZ.
"The singer -- full name Prince Rogers Nelson -- had a medical emergency on April 15th that forced his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois. But he appeared at a concert the next day to assure his fans he was okay. His people told TMZ he was battling the flu."
Though the Associated Press has confirmed Prince's death, Carver County authorities in Minnesota are yet to make a statement. "We're withholding information on the identification of the decedent until after we've connected with the next of kin. Once that has been done we will issue a press release," Jason Kamerud, chief sheriff's deputy for Carver County told The StarTribune.
A pioneer of the Minneapolis sound (a mixture of funk, rock, pop, synth, and new wave), Prince was nominated for 32 Grammys and won seven over the course of a phenomenal 39 studio albums. In December of 2015 he released his final album, HITnRUN Phase Two, a surprise follow-up to his September record. Throughout this year, Prince had been playing surprise intimate shows throughout North America on his Piano and Microphone tour. At one of his latest stops on March 26 in Toronto, he performed 57 songs, five encores, and a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes."
