Several days after the death of the iconic pop star and memorials among fans far and wide are still going strong. Mourners from all over the country are still paying their dues and remembering the artist, performer, and songwriter four days after his death at a young age of 57 in his residence at Paisley Park, Minnesota. The autopsy report has not yet been released and the cause of death remains unknown. However, according to the Associated Press, his remains have been cremated. In remembrance, fans have been leaving flowers, posters, and other mementos in front of the Paisley Park complex this weekend, while the pop star’s family also handed out purple boxes to mourners and admirers containing T-Shirts, CD’s, and other Prince memorabilia. This weekend, thousands paid pilgrimage to the icon in downtown Minneapolis, carrying boomboxes to play his music, placing purple flowers on the wall where his name has been emblazoned.
Another development that has recently been released is regarding Prince’s secret vault in his estate, that features thousands of unreleased songs, albums, and movies, but this is all still speculation and rumor. If this is true, Prince’s purple reign over the music industry may be far from over.
Though the star is gone, his legacy will live on and many recognize him as having pioneered the “Minneapolis Sound,” a classic combination of rock, punk, and pop (including blatantly sexual lyrics), a style that defined 80’s dance clubs, especially in the city of Minneapolis itself. Even further, Prince is also known to be royalty of the diverse family of musicians that came from the same era and style like Terry Lewis, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Jam and many more. He is the single songwriter with the most songs listed on the Rolling Stone’s “Top 500 Songs of All Time” list, was induced into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, and has won a Grammy, Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. The icon has released over 40 albums and 103 singles in his career that got cut short and still spanned 39 years. Aside from his unique style of music that the world may never see the likes of again, Prince was an eccentric and enigmatic performer, a pusher of boundaries, an inventor (and re-inventor of his music and himself). Much like the iconic David Bowie who also died this year as well, the seemingly immortal Prince pushed gender boundaries, and above all else, remained an enigma by keeping his audiences and fans perpetually guessing. Among his most drastic move, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol in the nineties known as the “Love Symbol” and also starred in many self-indulgent career movies that made him even more mysterious.
The contribution of Prince Rogers to music will never be forgotten, and his 39 year purple reign will continue after his death.
