Prince, Iconic Musician, Dies at 57 Years Old

Prince, the iconic musician who broke boundaries and blazed trails in R&B, rock, funk, has died at the age of 57. He was found in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota The cause of death is unclear at this time, but last week Prince was hospitalized with what his representatives, said was...

By Ryan Pfeffer

April 21, 2016

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Prince, the iconic musician who broke boundaries and blazed trails in R&B, rock, and funk, has died at the age of 57. He was found in his home in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

The cause of death is unclear at this time, but last week Prince was hospitalized with what his representatives said was the flu.

Prince's influence on not only music but also culture in general cannot be understated. His career spanned 39 studio albums and countless hit singles. Many of today's brightest stars are quick to list him as an essential influence.

In the coming weeks, hundreds of articles will flood the web, memorializing Prince and his place in music history. For Miamians, the most iconic Prince performance has to be the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show, when Prince, during a Miami downpour, put on a breathtaking performance that included songs "We Will Rock You," "Let's Go Crazy," "Baby I'm a Star," "Proud Mary," "All Along the Watchtower," and "Best of You."

He ended the halftime show with his iconic breakthrough single, "Purple Rain," which he fittingly performed in the rain.

"It felt surprising. It felt spontaneous. Whatever script you might have had in your head for OK, here's what he's going to do, he didn't do that," Alan Light, author of Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain, told the NFL in a documentary about the 2007 Super Bowl.

"Turning the bad weather to his dramatic advantage. It was almost like a special effect."

Relive the performance below.

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Ryan Pfeffer is Miami New Times’ music editor. After earning a BS in editing, writing, and media from Florida State University, Ryan joined the New Times staff in November 2013 as a web editor, where he coined the phrase "pee-tweet" (to retweet someone while urinating). Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, he’s now neck-deep in bass and booty in the 305.

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