Prince was a singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, actor, and multi-instrumentalist from Minneapolis, Minnesota. His song lyrics spoke on sexuality and escaping social identities pushed onto him and others like him. Prince’s music was also influenced by jazz, punk, heavy metal, and hip-hop. His first big hit was Little Red Corvette (1983) and he even gained air time on MTV during a time where Black artists were rarely shown on the channel. His album Purple Rain was released in 1984 and made him one of the most famous and influential stars of his generation.
     Prince changed his name to a combination of the male and female symbol in 1993 and the media began referring to him as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.” He passed away on April 21st in 2016 at age 57. Prince will forever be remembered for his music, on stage presence and his use of color; especially his iconic purple color. 
     While on the road during his first solo tour, Prince was on stage about to perform his song Free from his 1999 album, when he interrupted the song to mourn and remember David Bowie, who had passed away two weeks earlier. Prince said to the crowd, “I had only met him once. He was nice to me. He seemed like he was nice to everybody,” then he wipes away a tear. Two months later, while performing in Toronto, he surprised the crowd with a cover of David Bowie’s song Heroes, from the second album in his Berlin Trilogy.