After a 40 year career, releasing 39 studio albums, and winning seven Grammys and an Oscar, 57-year-old iconic pop star Prince Rogers Nelson has died. The world is mourning the loss of such an influential musical figure.

Prince was last seen alive at 8 pm Wednesday, April 21 in Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Minnesota. His staff members were unable to contact him Thursday morning, so they checked on him and found him slumped in his elevator. After 20 minutes of CPR, paramedics pronounced him dead at 10:07 am. Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson promised the public, “We are going to leave no stone unturned with this and make sure the public knows what happened.”

Reporters created questionable information based on investigation officials’ lack of commentary regarding whether or not Prince was treated for a drug overdose six days preceding his death. However, the validity of Prince’s alleged overdose is not something the public should be concerned with. Instead, let us focus on the musician’s many accomplishments and celebrate a life well lived.

Prince’s fellow musicians and  numerous fans are doing just that. Many of his fans left bouquets and signs outside of Paisley Park, and according to CNN, other fans flocked to First Avenue: the Minneapolis dance club Prince used in the movie “Purple Rain.” Michaela Angela Davis, Prince’s former stylist, said, “The most prolific thing to me about Prince was not only was he the most vibrant example of black genius that I have ever seen, but he was able to negotiate God and sex in his subject matter in a way that we had never seen before. Every song was either a prayer or foreplay.”

After CNN reporter Anderson Cooper requested he play a Prince hit, Stevie Wonder claimed, “I’d break down if I played his song.” Wonder was visibly fighting tears as he recalled his final conversation with Prince: a call to say that he loved him (dailymail.co.uk). Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Timberlake, Reese Witherspoon, and many others commented on how heartbroken they were, and sent Prince’s family their condolences. President Barack Obama stated, “‘a strong spirit transcends rules,’ Prince once said — and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative.”
Celebrities, fans, and musicians around the world will mourn the loss of an influential musician and person. Whoopi Goldberg’s tweet summed it up perfectly: “This is what it sounds like when doves cry… Prince R.I.P.”