Music legend Prince dead at 57

Pop icon Prince, whose pioneering brand of danceable funk made him one of the most influential figures in music, died Thursday at his compound in Minnesota. He was 57.

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9:20am update

Here are more details from the Star Tribune:

In a transcript of a 911 call released by the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified male caller tells the dispatcher there is “a person … dead here,” says he doesn’t know how the person died and struggles to find the exact address of Prince’s home, which the dispatcher urgently seeks.

“You’re at Paisley Park, OK, that’s in Chanhassen,” the dispatcher says. “Are you with the person who’s …” and the male caller quickly interrupts to say, “Yes, it’s Prince.”

An autopsy is planned Friday.

Music legend Prince dead at 57

Los Angeles, AFP – Pop icon Prince, whose pioneering brand of danceable funk made him one of the most influential figures in music, died Thursday at his compound in Minnesota. He was 57.

The announcement came just a week after the enigmatic Grammy and Oscar winner – acclaimed for his guitar skills and soaring falsetto – was taken to hospital with a bad bout of influenza, which he made light of after the scare.

News of his death prompted a flood of tributes from the worlds of entertainment and politics, from Barack Obama to Mick Jagger, as well as ordinary fans – and even a tweet from NASA of a purple nebula, in Prince's signature colour.

"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning," said his spokeswoman, Yvette Noel-Schure, without elaborating.

The Carver County sheriff's office in Minnesota said in a statement deputies responding to an emergency call had found an "unresponsive" Prince in an elevator.

Attempts to resuscitate him failed and he was pronounced dead at 10:07 am (1507 GMT), it said, adding that an investigation had been launched.

Prince became an international sensation in the 1980s, when he popularised the Minneapolis sound of danceable funk, incorporating rock elements. His 1984 album "Purple Rain" is often described as one of the greatest of all time.

US President Barack Obama, who seldom comments on celebrity matters, lamented the loss of a "creative icon."

"Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent," Obama said in a statement.

"Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer."

The artist – whose huge catalogue of hits includes "1999," "Cream" and "Kiss" – lived on the outskirts of Minneapolis, where he was known for throwing parties at his Paisley Park studio.

Named after his jazz pianist and songwriter father's stage name Prince Rogers, the pop icon was born in Minneapolis, although his family had its roots in Louisiana.

He was in the middle of a pared-back "Piano and a Microphone" tour when he began experiencing health problems, cancelling a show in Atlanta due to flu.

He eventually played a rescheduled show but his private plane made an emergency landing early Friday last week in Illinois as he was returning from Georgia.

The musician invited fans via Twitter to a "dance party" at Paisley Park on Saturday for a token $10 each in a bid to prove his health problems were behind him, Minnesota's Star Tribune newspaper reported.

"Wait a few days before you waste any prayers," he reportedly told the roughly 200 in attendance.

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