Prince the recording artist, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, could not be revived by emergency personnel who responded to a 911 call from his Chanhassen, Minn., estate, according to the Associated Press.
Speculation has centered on an array of pre-existing health problems or on a possible drug-related cause, since the 57-year-old had reportedly been treated for an overdose less than a week earlier, according to the New York Daily News newspaper.
Prince was found unresponsive Thursday in an elevator at the estate, known as Paisley Park, and police were called at 9:43 a.m.
But life-saving efforts were unsuccessful and Prince was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m., the AP said.
Autopsy results may not be known for weeks.
Prince had returned to Minnesota after performing two concerts in Atlanta on April 14, a date scheduled after he was forced to cancel earlier shows at the Fox Theatre there because of the flu.
Prince told the April 14 audience that he had been “under the weather” but performed for 90 minutes, including the songs “Nothing Compares 2 U” and the finale, “Baby, I”m a Star.”
But his plane reportedly made a medical emergency landing during the trip home, and Prince was hospitalized briefly in Moline, Ill., the AP said.
Prince, a Jehovah’s Witness with a reputation for clean living, reportedly held a dance party at Paisley Park on April 16.
Lars Larson of Minneapolis, a Paisley Park security guard, said Prince appeared on stage at the party and spoke to guests for about a half-hour.
“He seemed great; he looked like Prince,” Larson said.
“The whole point of the show on Saturday was to show he was doing all right,” Larson said.
Prince associate Jeremiah Freed, who runs the website drfunkenberry.com, told the AP that Prince appeared briefly at the party to show off a new purple piano he had been given, but was upset over reports that he was ill.
“When he had to talk about the stories going on, he didn’t seem too pleased,” Freed said.
“It was kind of like, ‘I’m here. I’m good,’ and ‘Just wait a few days before saying your prayers,'” he said.
