Prince’s death on April 21, 2016, shouldn’t have come as a surprise. He cancelled two shows in Atlanta on April 7, blaming influenza.
A week later, flying back from the make-up shows, he became unresponsive and his plane diverted to Moline, Illinois. His representative blamed dehydration and influenza.
But behind the scenes his representatives were worried enough to call a pain specialist in California for help. Prince suffered from several physical ailments, relying on opioids to mask the pain. The doctor was scheduled to meet with Prince on April 22.
Prince was found in an elevator in his home about 9:40 a.m. on April 21. He had been dead for about six hours. He was 57. The coroner ruled he had died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl contained in a counterfeit bottle of pills thought to be Vicodin.
Prince was one of the most influential musicians of his generation. He usually played all the instruments on his songs. He created the Minneapolis Sound, which was part R&B, funk, rock and pop.
The “Purple Rain” album became a phenomenon when it was released in 1984 as the soundtrack of the movie by the same name.
The album was number one on the Billboard 200 chart for 24 weeks and in the top 10 for 32 weeks. The album sold 13 million copies.
The single only reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was the third song released from the album. It reached number three after his death.
Song of the Day is a co-production of WGCU and Sheldon Zoldan.
