Prince, legendary Purple Rain singer, dead at age 57

Prince, the American superstar singer-songwriter known for his incredible musicianship and a cavalcade of award-winning hits, has died at age 57, according to his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure. 

No details were immediately released.

Authorities in Chanhassen, Minn., responded to a medical emergency call from Prince's famed home recording studio Paisley Park on Thursday morning. The crime lab and medical examiner were also called to the scene.

The singer postponed several shows in Atlanta earlier this month amid reports he had been battling a nagging flu for several weeks, but delighted fans — including singer Janelle Monae — at a rescheduled performance.

Last Friday, the singer-songwriter was rushed to an Illinois hospital with his private plane making an emergency landing so he could get treatment. He was released hours later. The next day, he was seen by fans riding his bicycle around his neighbourhood and hosted a "dance party" at Paisley Park.

Prolific hitmaker

Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, the Grammy-winning artist was known for such hits as Purple Rain, Kiss, Little Red Corvette, The Beautiful Ones, Raspberry Beret, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Diamonds and Pearls and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

Music legend Prince has died at his Paisley Park home studio in suburban Minneapolis, according to a publicist. (Nousha Salimi/Associated Press)

He made his name internationally with the albums 1999 and his film-album project Purple Rain, which cemented his status as one of the musical icons of the 1980s. 

A celebrated songwriter, he also penned tracks for a wide range of artists, from Madonna to Sinead O'Connor, the Bangles and M.C. Hammer. Tom Jones, Chaka Khan and Alicia Keys are just a few of the singers who count Prince covers among their best-known or signature songs.

Noted perfectionist

Prince waged a high-profile battle with his record company Warner Bros. over control of his material and even his name — famously changing it to a symbol and performing as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince for some time.

The noted perfectionist, who was fiercely protective of his music, even went so far as scrawling the word "slave" on his face in protest of Prince once wrote "slave" on his face in protest.

After some quieter career years of late, he stepped back into the spotlight and dazzled a new generation of fans with a dazzling 2004 Grammy Awards performance alongside pop singer Beyoncé — one that helped boost his next Grammy-winning album and tour Musicology. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that year.

Prince had been travelling as part of his solo Piano and a Microphone tour, which included gigs in Toronto and Montreal in late March

Prince has been heralded for many traits, but his electric stage presence, splashy showmanship and sexually charged theatrics put him at the forefront of the music world's live performers.

These talents were well documented over Prince's career through his performances on award shows and on stage — during his own concerts and in surprise appearances at others.

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As fans mourn his death, here's a look at some of Prince's most memorable live performances.

Super Bowl halftime show, 2007

Despite torrential rains falling on Miami's Dolphin Stadium, a blue-suited, bandana-clad Prince took to the stage — shaped like his signature love symbol — looking cool and collected.

He launched into an epic 12-minute performance that is widely considered to be the best halftime show performance of all time. The set list included his own songs like Let's Go Crazy and Baby, I'm a Star as well as covers of Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower and Creedence Clearwater Revival's Proud Mary.

The moment: Backed by hundreds of marching band members, Prince rips through a guitar solo during his hit Purple Rain. At one point, he appears as a silhouette behind a white sheet billowing in the wind and rain. He crouches, gropes his guitar and wails on it in a suggestive manner.

In concert with James Brown and Michael Jackson, 1983

It's hard to upstage musical icons like James Brown and Michael Jackson. But Prince managed to do just that during one of Brown's concerts in Los Angeles. Jackson and Prince were in the audience at the concert and Brown called them up on stage.

Prince borrowed a guitar and played for a moment before taking off his shirt, wailing into the microphone and contorting his body around the stage. At one point, he leaned against a massive prop lamp post and almost brought it down onto the audience.

Tributes have started pouring in on the video, with people mourning the loss of all three musicians and dubbing them the Kings of Soul, Rock and Pop.

The moment: Prince flails his arms around on stage, conducting Brown's backing band and the cheering audience members. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, 2004

Prince, ZZ Top, Bob Seger and George Harrison were among the musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Harrison's posthumous induction brought out an all-star assortment of musicians — including his Travelling Wilbury's bandmates Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne — to perform While My Guitar Gently Weeps. 

But it was the appearance of Prince — donning a red hat and a wide open matching red shirt — that stole the tribute. He brought his Telecaster to a performance full of acoustic guitars. At the song's end, he tossed it up in the air and effortlessly walked off the stage.

The moment: Prince solos while leaning back off of the stage and out into the audience. A man holds him up while Harrison's son, Dhani (who was also playing on stage) looks on in amazement and amusement.

Capitol Theatre, 1982

Prince's performance at the now closed Capitol Theatre in Passaic, N.J., was one of his most legendary. Though early in his career, the set defined the genre-bending sound Prince became known for, combining elements of gospel, rock, funk, soul and R&B.

The concert included songs like Dirty Mind, Do Me, Baby and the encore Jack U Off, which showcased the sexual motifs and explicit lyrics that Prince helped make mainstream. Many of the tunes are difficult to hear over all the shrieks and squeals from the audience.

The moment: During an extended version of I Wanna Be Your Lover, Prince gets down on his knees and repurposes his electric guitar into a slide guitar. Prince massages the head of his guitar over and over and finishes the tune lying on his back.

MTV Video Awards, 1991

Prince performs in a see-through yellow suit at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1991. (Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press)

This is regarded as being one of the most risqué music awards show performances of all time. While performing his tune Gett Off, Prince gyrated around the stage while wearing a see-through yellow suit, which left little to be imagined.

He was joined on stage by half-naked dancers wearing masks and Roman pillars on fire.

The moment: Prince spins around to reveal his bottomless attire, showcasing his assets.

Performing with Beyoncé at the Grammys, 2004

Prince opened the 2004 Grammys in style — kicking off a six-minute medley of songs with a soulful rendition of Purple Rain, where he was joined by Beyoncé. The pair performed together on Baby I'm a Star, Beyoncé's Crazy in Love and Let's Go Crazy.

Beyoncé, who had recently launched her solo career, recalled how star-struck she was during the performance and the rehearsal process in a 2012 magazine interview.

"I still can't believe it," she said. "He just kept on saying, 'Don't be scared. Come on. Belt it out.'" 

The moment: The duo lean back on each other at the end of Let's Go Crazy, as Prince solos on his guitar and Beyoncé wails.

Honourable mentions

• Purple Rain on The Arsenio Hall Show, 1989
• Covering Radiohead's Creep at Coachella, 2008
• Performing Superstition with Stevie Wonder and Sheila E., 2010
• Performing with the Muppets on their short-lived show Muppets Tonight, 1997