Prince Rogers Nelson was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to musician parents—his father, John L. Nelson, a jazz pianist, and his mother, Mattie Shaw, a singer. Growing up in a home steeped in music, Prince showed early signs of genius. Despite his parents’ divorce, their influence shaped his lifelong relationship with music. He attended Minneapolis public schools and, remarkably, taught himself how to play multiple instruments, including piano, guitar, and drums. Formal music training? Not his style. He simply absorbed it all—by ear, by feel, by obsession.

Before his solo rise, Prince cut his teeth with the funk band 94 East, contributing his skills on guitar and getting a taste of the collaborative creative world. But it wasn’t long before his solo demos caught the ear of Warner Bros. Records. They were so stunned by his talent, they gave him full creative control—a move almost unheard of at the time. He released For You in 1978, doing everything on it: writing, producing, performing, mixing. The guy basically was his own band.

His influences spanned musical titans like James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Wonder. You could hear their echoes in his work, but he twisted them into something wholly original. He didn’t just blend genres—he melted them. With albums like 1999 and Sign o’ the Times, he pushed boundaries. But it was Purple Rain in 1984—a film and album—that catapulted him into legend status. Prince not only starred in the movie but composed the soundtrack, and it won an Academy Award. He proved he could dominate music and cinema at the same time.

And he didn’t stop there. Prince directed and composed music for Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge. Though these later films didn’t win Oscars, they reinforced that Prince played by nobody’s rules but his own.

In 2001, Prince embraced the Jehovah’s Witness faith. It wasn’t a public stunt or a marketing move—it was a quiet, profound shift. With the guidance of bassist Larry Graham, Prince found peace in scripture and spiritual purpose. He started attending Kingdom Hall, even going door-to-door as part of his ministry. His music shifted in tone, reflecting his beliefs more directly. Vulgarity gave way to vision.

On April 21, 2016, the world lost this purple force of nature. Prince was found unresponsive at his Paisley Park estate, the victim of an accidental fentanyl overdose. He was only 57. The mourning was global, spontaneous, and heartfelt. Landmarks lit up in purple. Fans wept. Musicians paid tribute. And his music, once again, topped the charts.

Still, Prince lives on—in riffs, in rain, in that whisper of funk in your favorite track. As he once sang, “Life is just a party, and parties weren’t meant to last.”