Pop superstar Prince, famous for songs including Little Red Corvette and When Doves Cry, had died.
He was found dead in an elevator at his home today in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist. He was 57.
His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press that the music icon died at his home in Chanhassen.
Police have opened an investigation into the death.
In a statement, Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson said his deputies responded to a medical call at about 9:43am (local time) and later found an unresponsive adult male in an elevator at Paisley Park Studios.
First responders tried to revive him with CPR but he was pronounced dead at 10:07.
Hundreds of fans have now gathered outside Paisley Park. US President Barack Obama said the world had lost a “creative icon”.
Prince had one son, Boy Gregory, with his first wife Mayte Garcia, who he married in 1996. Boy arrived the same year, but was tragically born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare disorder that does not allow the head to grow, and died a week after his birth.
“I can’t even think of the words of what I’m feeling. This man was my everything, we had a family. I am beyond deeply saddened and devastated,” Mayte said in a statement released by her manager.
“I loved him then, I love him now and will love him eternally. He’s with our son now.”
The sad news comes just days after Prince, born Prince Rogers Nelson, was reportedly rushed to hospital with the flu.
He was aboard his private flight when he fell ill, forcing it to make an unscheduled landing in Illinois on Friday morning.
TMZ reported that the seven-time Grammy award winning singer’s plane diverted to Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois, to make the emergency landing.
He had had been suffering from flu for a number of weeks and was believed to be recovering, but took a turn for the worse in the early hours of Friday.
According to the Daily Mail, he made a final public appearance at a show on Sunday, where he did not sing, but said: “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers”.
The singer, who stood just 1.58cm tall, toured New Zealand for the very first time in February this year, performing two sold-out shows in Auckland to rave reviews.
Known for his sexually-charged lyrics Prince, who was also a Jehovah’s Witness, is widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive and influential musicians of his era, and the talented singer and song-writer sold more than 100 million albums over his lengthy, 40-year career.
A musical prodigy from a broken home, Prince famously wrote, arranged, produced and played almost all of his hit records.
He also wrote music for several artists, with Sinead O’Connor’s version of Nothing Compares 2U becoming a worldwide smash in 1990.
He even won an Oscar in 1984 for the score to Purple Rain, a film he also starred in.
Throughout his career he had a reputation for secrecy and eccentricity, once changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.
Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Tributes for the artist have been pouring in on social media. Madonna described Prince, who she briefly dated, as a “visionary who changed the world”, while Justin Timberlake said he was: “Numb. Stunned. This can’t be real”.
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