Obama mourns ‘creative icon’ Prince
President Obama on Thursday mourned the death of Prince, hailing the music star as a “creative icon” who “did it all.”
“Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent,” Obama said in a statement.
{mosads}“ ‘A strong spirit transcends rules,’ Prince once said — and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative,” he added.
Obama called the “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” singer “one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time” who spanned genres from funk and R&B to rock ‘n’ roll.
The seven-time Grammy Award winner was found dead Thursday morning at his Paisley Park recording studio complex outside his hometown of Minneapolis.
Prince’s death was unexpected; he was 57 years old.
The president and first lady are big Prince fans. They invited him to the White House last June to perform a private concert alongside Stevie Wonder for 500 VIP guests.
Prince reportedly battled flu-like symptoms in the days before his death.
His plane made an emergency landing in Illinois last week after playing two shows in Atlanta, and he was briefly hospitalized before continuing home to Minnesota.
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