CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) — Sales of Prince’s music have soared since news broke of the pop star’s death.
Three of his songs — “Purple Rain,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “When Doves Cry,” — surged to 7th, 9th and 10th on iTunes’ Top Songs chart.
Four of his albums — “The Very Best of Prince,” ”Purple Rain,” ”The Hits / The B-Sides,” and “1999” — jumped to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 8th on iTunes’ Top Albums chart by Thursday afternoon.
The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his era, drawing upon influences ranging from James Brown to the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix. His hits included “Little Red Corvette,” ”Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.”
Hundreds of fans have gathered outside Prince’s Paisley Park studio to mourn his death.
Sheriff’s officials in Minnesota said deputies found music superstar Prince unresponsive in an elevator after they were summoned to his suburban Minneapolis compound.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson says first responders tried CPR but couldn’t revive the 57-year-old musician. Olson says Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. Thursday, about half an hour after deputies arrived.
Olson says the death is under investigation.
A transcript of the 911 call from Prince’s suburban Minneapolis compound shows confusion as an unidentified caller struggles to give the dispatcher the proper address.
The caller said he was at “Prince’s house” but first placed it in Minneapolis. Another person at the compound eventually gave the correct address in the suburb of Chanhassen.
The caller first says he has “someone who is unconscious” before saying “the person is dead here.”
As the dispatcher identifies the address as Paisley Park and begins to ask a question, the caller interrupts to say, “Yes, it’s Prince.”
Many celebrities took to Twitter to express their sadness Thursday. Basketball star Magic Johnson wrote that he was “so devastated by the passing of my good friend Prince.”
Director Spike Lee remembered Prince as “A Funny Cat” with a “Great Sense of Humor.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson praised Prince for fighting for the freedom of artists and for himself, recalling the rocker’s skirmishes with the recording industry. Jackson says Price “was a transformer.”
President Barack Obama is lamenting the loss of a “creative icon” with the death of rock superstar Prince.
In a statement, the president called Prince “one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time.”
Obama also said “nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder or more creative” than Prince’s.