Pop superstar Prince is dead at 57

CHANHASSEN, Minn. (AP) — Pop superstar Prince, who was widely acclaimed as one of the most inventive musicians of his era, was found dead at his home on today in suburban Minneapolis, according to his publicist.

His publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, told The Associated Press the music icon died at his home in Chanhassen. No details were immediately released.

The man born Prince Rogers Nelson stood just 5 feet, 2 inches and seemed to summon the most-original and compelling sounds at will, whether playing guitar in a flamboyant style that openly drew upon Jimi Hendrix, switching his vocals from a nasally scream to an erotic falsetto or turning out album after album of stunningly original material. Among his other notable releases: "Sign O' the Times," ''Graffiti Bridge" and "The Black Album."

He was also fiercely protective of his independence, battling his record company over control of his material and even his name. Prince once wrote "slave" on his face in protest of not owning his work and famously battled and then departed his label, Warner Bros., before returning a few years ago.

"What's happening now is the position that I've always wanted to be in," Prince told The Associated Press in 2014. "I was just trying to get here."

In 2004, Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame, which hailed him as a musical and social trailblazer.