Pop icon Prince passes away at fifty-seven

Nick Stines
News Editor

​      On April 21, former pop icon Prince Nelson was found dead in an elevator at his studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Citizens and fans have mourned his loss by paying large tributes due to the fact he was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Local parks and dance clubs have been playing his hits such as “Nothing Compares 2 u.” Dozens flocked to his house immediately after his death was reported despite rain downpour. Since 1985, he was an artistic icon to many due to his ability to blend genres such as pop, R&B, and funk. People often compare him to the former king of pop, Michael Jackson, due to their artistic similarities, stage presences, attire of choice, and era they reached their career peaks in. What Prince had that Jackson did not was his ability to make funk music with the electric guitar.

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      In a 1999 interview with Larry King on CNN, Prince described his music as inspirational, and he also believed that all music could be inspirational if the artist puts heart into what he or she has written. His inspiration stemmed from God, but he told King that it had not always been that way. As he grew older, he learned more about himself and what drives him to write inspirational music, and even though his motivation for his entire career has not been from faith, he felt strongly about it at that point in his career.
      Prince had been treated for drug overdose six days prior to his death, and his private jet made an emergency landing on Friday in Illinois; the landing spot is just an hour away from his home. Prince was given a “save shot” called Naloxone, which is a life-saving drug used as an antidote to deplete the effects of an opiate overdose. An autopsy is to be performed on his body on Friday, April 22 to decrypt the reason behind his abrupt death.