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 The intensely private musician, whose hits included "Purple
Rain" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead in an elevator at his
home in suburban Minneapolis on Thursday at the age of 57,
shocking millions of fans around the world and prompting glowing
tributes by fellow musicians.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson, whose office is investigating
the circumstances of his death, said Prince was last seen alive
by an acquaintance who dropped him off at his home at about 8
p.m. on Wednesday night.
"There were no obvious signs of trauma on the body," Olson told
a news conference. "We have no reason to believe at this point
that this was a suicide. The rest is under investigation."
The influential star, born Prince Rogers Nelson, was found
unresponsive in an elevator at the Paisley Park Studios complex
where he lived in the suburb of Chanhassen, authorities said.
Olson declined to say whether any items were recovered from the
home by police, citing the ongoing investigation. He did say
that no one else was found at the property.
The local medical examiner's office conducted a post-mortem
examination on Friday morning for four hours but its results
could be some time coming. Prince's body was released to his
family on Friday afternoon, the Midwest Medical Examiner's
Office added in a statement.
"As part of a complete exam, relevant information regarding Mr.
Nelson's medical and social history will be gathered. Anything
which could be relevant to the investigation will be taken into
consideration," the statement said.
No information will be released until all results have been
obtained, it added. "Gathering the results will take several
days and the results of a full toxicology scan could likely take
weeks," the medical examiner's office said.
Prince's music blended styles including rock, jazz, funk, disco
and R&B, and it won him seven Grammy Awards as well as an Oscar.
He had been on a U.S. tour as recently as last week.
But he was briefly hospitalized a week ago after his plane made
an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois, suffering from what
his representative told celebrity news website TMZ was flu.
Nevertheless, the star hosted a party at Paisley Park last
Saturday night at which one attendee said Prince played two
tunes on a piano and then introduced fans to his doctor.
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'REMARKABLE LOSS'
Prince first found fame in the late 1970s before becoming one of the
most inventive forces in American pop music.
On a trip to London, U.S. President Barack Obama said he listened to
"Purple Rain" and "Delirious" on Friday morning at the U.S.
ambassador's residence to get "warmed up" for his meetings.
"I loved Prince ... It's a remarkable loss," Obama told a news
conference.
As well as singing and songwriting, Prince played multiple
instruments including guitar, keyboards and drums. A Jehovah's
Witness and a strict vegan, he sold more than 100 million records
and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Record producer L.A. Reid told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that he
was perplexed by the death of his friend.
"The Prince I know was super-healthy, vegan, wasn't an abuser of
drugs, wasn't an abuser of alcohol," Reid said. "He was clean and he
looked young and he looked really healthy and vibrant, so the whole
thing is really mysterious to me."
During his life, Prince was known as fiercely determined to protect
his intellectual property.
How others might profit from his legacy hinges on how astute he was
about arranging for control of his music after death. Twice divorced
with no surviving children, he apparently lacked any immediately
identifiable heirs.
Ex-wife Manuela Testolini said that as well as being a husband and
friend, Prince had been a "fierce philanthropist" who encouraged her
to set up her own charity. She had contacted him only a few days
ago, she added, to tell him she was building a school in his honor.
"I am heartbroken beyond words," Testolini said in a statement on
Friday.
(Additional reporting by Jane Ross in Minneapolis, Alex Dobuzinskis,
Dan Whitcomb and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, and Suzannah Gonzales
in Chicago; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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