Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His deep funk sound with his explicit lyrics and falsetto voice were extremely unique to mainstream music when his debut solo album, "For You," came out in 1978.
He hit superstar status with his band The Revolution in 1982 with the hit album (and single) "1999."
Success continued in 1984 with the album "Purple Rain," which led to Grammy and American Music Award wins.
The same year, Prince starred in the movie "Purple Rain," which would go on to become a classic. Prince won an Oscar for best original song for the title track.
In the '80s, Prince pushed the boundary of acceptable sexual content in pop with clever double entendres. But there was no denying the sensuality of his shows.
Through the decades, Prince released music at an impressive pace, and tried out different looks.
Prince: an amazing life in photos
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Prince was known for his romantic exploits in his songs and his life. Here he is with ex-wife Manuela Testolini at the 2005 Oscars.
In 2007, Prince performed at the Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show in a memorable performance that has gone down as one of the best in the event's history.
Since 2000, he released 15 albums, including the most recent, "HITnRUN Phase One," in 2015.
Prince sold over 100 million records worldwide. He won seven Grammys, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar. Rolling Stone ranked him 27 on it list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
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