Prince
07 June, 1958
Full Name: Prince Rogers Nelson; Profession: American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, dancer, and visionary performer whose genre-blending fusion of funk, rock, R&B, pop, soul, and psychedelia redefined popular music and stagecraft in the late twentieth century; Nationality: American; Born: June 7, 1958; Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, where he grew up immersed in the local music scene that would later become synonymous with his βMinneapolis soundβ; Generation: Baby Boomer, as he was born in 1958, within the commonly accepted 1946β1964 baby-boom cohort that came of age amid postwar affluence and cultural upheaval; Chinese Zodiac: Earth Dog, since 1958 is recognized in the Chinese sexagenary cycle as a Dog year with the Earth element, associated with loyalty, persistence, and grounded idealism, traits often attributed to his fierce work ethic and protective control over his art. Zodiac Sign: Gemini, the mutable air sign linked with versatility, communication, and mercurial creativity, matching his quicksilver shifts between instruments, personas, and musical styles, and explicitly cited for those born on June 7; Age in 2026: 68 years old had he lived to June 7, 2026, given his birth in 1958 and death in 2016, making him a late-middle-aged elder statesman of popular music in this hypothetical present; Marital Status: Twice married and divorcedβfirst to dancer and singer Mayte Garcia, whom he wed in 1996 and from whom he separated around 1999β2000, and later to businesswoman and philanthropist Manuela Testolini, whom he married in 2001 before their marriage ended in divorce in 2007, so at the time of his death he was not married but carried the legacy of two intense, highly public yet closely guarded unions. Children: He had no surviving children, having fathered a son, Amiir Nelson (Arabic for βprinceβ), with Mayte Garcia in October 1996, who was born with Pfeiffer syndrome type 2, a rare genetic disorder, and tragically died only six days after birth, followed by at least one reported miscarriage that deepened their shared grief and contributed to strain in the marriage; Description: Prince was a prodigiously gifted artist whose career spanned from the late 1970s until his death in 2016, producing a vast catalog that included landmark albums such as β1999,β βPurple Rain,β βSign oβ the Times,β and many others, and he was renowned for his virtuosic command of guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums, his androgynous, theatrical stage presence, and his fearless experiments with image, sexuality, and spiritual symbolism that challenged mainstream norms; he became a global superstar and cultural icon, winning multiple Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for the film βPurple Rain,β while insisting on creative autonomy through battles with record labels, famously changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in protest over artistic ownership and contractual control; his work drew deeply on African American musical traditions yet synthesized rock guitar heroics, synth-driven pop, and intricate funk arrangements, influencing generations of artists across genres, and he frequently mentored and wrote for other performers, expanding his impact far beyond his own discography; spiritually, he was intensely private yet openly explored themes of faith, eroticism, and transcendence in his lyrics and imagery, later becoming associated with Jehovahβs Witnesses and maintaining a disciplined, sometimes ascetic lifestyle even while cultivating an aura of mystery around his Paisley Park compound and his late-night performances; Cause of Death: Prince died on April 21, 2016, at his Paisley Park residence in Chanhassen, Minnesota, from an accidental overdose of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, with toxicology and medical examiner reports describing exceedingly high concentrations of fentanyl in his system and official findings characterizing his passing as a fatal, unintended opioid overdose that subsequently prompted legal scrutiny of prescribing practices and broader public discussion of prescription drug abuse.