Carver County, Minnesota Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud initially refused to comment on the identity of a person found deceased at Prince's estate, but Prince's publicist confirmed the news shortly after 12:00 PM local time.
"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 at the age of 57. There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time," the artist's publicist Yvette Noel-Schure confirmed to Sputnik.
The celebrated musician and actor's body was found at his home in Paisley Park, Minnesota, at 9:43 AM on Thursday morning. He had recently cancelled two concert appearances over health issues.
The Carver County Sheriff's Office later confirmed, "When deputies and medical personnel arrived, they found an unresponsive adult male in the elevator." First responders attempted to revive him using CPR, but Prince was confirmed dead at 10:07 AM local time, according to an official statement. The cause of death is under investigation.
— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) April 21, 2016
Following concerts in Georgia, on April 15, the artist’s private jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Illinois due to medical issues, but Prince performed a concert the next day and assured the crowd that he was all right. At the time, his representatives attributed the landing to the flu.
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) April 21, 2016
— LeVar Burton (@levarburton) April 21, 2016
Prince was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 7, 1958, and has been an icon in the entertainment industry for over three decades. The star is one of the most popular artists of all time, having sold over 100 million records globally.
— William Shakespeare (@Wwm_Shakespeare) April 21, 2016