Prince gone: Only April but it’s a terrible year for music

By: 9 years ago

IN LIFE AND DEATH Legendary singer-songwriter Prince, dead at 57, continues to inspire millions with his music—funk, rock, R&B and pop. Right: Fans gather at a makeshift memorial outside Paisley Park, after the singer was found dead at his Minneapolis home on Thursday. AP

NEW YORK—It’s only April and already 2016 is a terrible year for music.

Pop icon Prince’s stunning death on Thursday (Friday in Manila) adds to a tragic roll call that already included David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Maurice White and Merle Haggard. Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister beat the calendar’s turn to 2016 by a couple of days, Natalie Cole by mere hours.

Prince was treated for a drug overdose in the week before his death, entertainment website TMZ reported, citing multiple unnamed sources.

The 57-year-old was treated at a hospital after his private jet made an unscheduled landing in Moline, Illinois, on Friday last week following a gig in Atlanta, amid reports that he had been battling influenza.

“Multiple sources in Moline tell us Prince was rushed to a hospital and doctors gave him a ‘save shot’ … typically administered to counteract the effects of an opiate,” TMZ reported.

It quoted unnamed sources as saying Prince had been advised by medics to remain in the hospital for 24 hours but decided to leave after three hours when he couldn’t get a private room.

“We know authorities in Minnesota are trying to get the hospital records from Moline to help determine (the) cause of death,” TMZ said.

Prince, whose pioneering brand of danceable funk made him one of the most influential figures in music, was declared dead on Thursday after being found unconscious in an elevator at his secluded compound in Minnesota.

News of his death prompted a flood of tributes, from US President Barack Obama to Mick Jagger, as well as ordinary fans.

READ: Celebrities react with anguish to death of Prince at 57

While the circumstances behind Prince’s death remain unclear, the causes of death of most other musical legends who died this year were mundane, independent of rock ‘n’ roll excess. Cancer. Diabetes. Intestinal disease. Pneumonia. Parkinson’s Disease. Bowie and Frey kept their conditions private, so few outside family saw them coming.

But Prince, at 57, showed no apparent signs of slowing down.

The man was indefatigable in concert, a whirlwind who drilled his bands until they met his exacting standards. He released four albums in the last 18 months, and had just announced he was writing his autobiography. He was in the midst of a “Piano and a Microphone” tour, which was just as it sounded—a rare chance to see an artist strip down his best songs to their essence. It was a must-have ticket.

During some of those shows, he sat at the piano to sing “Heroes” in honor of Bowie.

“We had a tough year already,” veteran Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich said on Thursday. “It’s really our generation now. We’d hear about past stars dying because of our parents. This time it’s our greats.” Reports from AP and AFP