Tributes poured in from around the world yesterday 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.
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 US 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 on Thursday.
Photo: AFP
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 awards 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 10:07am, it said, adding that an investigation had been launched.
Prince, small in stature, but a consummate live performer, became an international sensation in the 1980s, fusing rock and rhythm and blues into a highly danceable funk mix.
“Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin led an outpouring of tributes from the entertainment industry, describing Prince as “an original and a one of a kind” and insisting his music would live on.
“He changed the world!! A true visionary. What a loss. I’m devastated,” Madonna, a fellow 1980s icon who recorded with and briefly dated Prince, wrote on Instagram.
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger said on Twitter that Prince was “one of the most unique and talented artists of the last 30 years,” while former Beatle Paul McCartney tweeted he had seen in the New Year with the singer and that he had seemed fine then.
US actor Will Smith was among dozens of Hollywood stars who also reacted to the news on social media, saying he had spoken to Prince the night before and was shocked at the loss of the “beautiful poet” and “true inspiration.”
In Minneapolis, authorities lit up a bridge in purple in Prince’s memory, while Chicago’s skyline also took on a mauve hue.
Google’s multicolored logo went magenta with animated raindrops lashing the letters, while the New Yorker circulated a picture of the lavender cover with iris raindrops adorning its next issue, due out on Monday.
In Minneapolis, thousands of fans thronged the First Avenue club for an all-night dance party, some carrying purple flowers. The atmosphere was carnival-like, with the crowd erupting into renditions of his hits, including Purple Rain.
Fans also gathered outside his compound overnight, where flowers were piled high along the fence, purple balloons billowing in the wind.
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