Photo via The Guardian
Authorities are investigating Prince’s death with a focus on the role that painkillers may have played into his premature demise, according to a published report from Fox News on Tuesday. Prince’s death came about a week after his private plane made an emergency landing in Illinois, according to CNN. The emergency stop was due to an “un-responsive” male passenger aboard, according to communication released to CNN from the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, April 25. While the singer was rushed to the hospital in Moline, his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure says that he returned home and was alright, according to CNN.
A week later Prince was found dead in an elevator at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on the morning of April 21. The cause of his death remains unknown, according to Noel-Schure who says that “it could be weeks be-fore we received the results of the autopsy,” per CNN.
It was also reported Wednesday that the musician died without a valid will.
In wake of his death, thousands of his fans stood outside the First Avenue & 7th St. En-try Club with boom boxes blasting his songs and purple flowers in front of the wall in which his name lays.
They pay tribute to Prince as a “pioneer of a distant synth-pop and funk style known as the Minneapolis sound” and as the “heir to a diverse musical family of great artists such as Joni Mitchell and Sly and the Family Stone,” according to CNN.
After his debut in 1978, Prince quickly became a music icon best known for his album and single of the same name, Purple Rain. He was far from just a musician. He was also an actor who starred in the Warner Brother’s picture Purple Rain (1984), which was subsequently paired with the actual album Purple Rain and he was a multiple instrument musician. The movie swiftly became a cult classic — it wasn’t known for its high-quality acting or directing, especially because it featured a D-list cast and a first-time director — however, fans that already knew Prince flocked to the film and its creativeness.
A seven-time Grammy award winner, and Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame inductee, Prince undoubtedly made a name for himself in the music industry. He was known for his far-rang-ing eclectic and unique work, feministic qualities, incredible performance presence, and overall badass demeanor.
If you’re wondering why you can’t find pretty much any of Prince’s music on streaming services like Spotify or AppleMusic, it’s due to his notoriously troubled relationship with much of the music industry. The only streaming service that allows full access to all of Prince’s al-bums is Tidal.
There are few artists out there who have had as big of an impact as Prince has had over his years. Every fan and member of the music industry will dearly miss Prince and his legacy. This is not the end for his music, though, for Prince’s tunes and enduring message of one love will continue to influence generations of musicians and listeners for years to come.