This hurts. Legendary musician/performer/all around icon Prince has died at the age of 57. He first came to prominence as a musician in the 1970s, and his impact on the world was immediate. Hits like “I Wanna Be Your Lover” and “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” took the country by storm in 1979, and the release of his iconic Purple Rain album in 1984 still stands today as one the most influential moments in pop music history.

Wholly unique and forever evolving, Prince would continue to hone his sound and persona throughout the years, diving into feature films with 1984’s rock musical Purple Rain and subsequently appearing in films like Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge and, most recently, a guest appearance on Fox’s sitcom New Girl. He also, of course, contributed a number of original songs to the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s landmark 1989 film Batman.

Prince’s loss is deeply felt on a global level, and it’s hard to accurately quantify his impact on the world in the short time we had to share with him. He will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this very difficult time.


prince
Image via Fox

prince-purple-rain
Image via Warner Bros.