The Purple Prince

Musical genius and pop icon prince was as interesting and unique as they come

The world is still grieving for yet another great loss in the music industry. Icon, creative pioneer and musical genius Prince, who died on April 21, left behind an amazing legacy that will be impossible to surpass.
Prince pioneered the Memphis sound (a funky blend of pop, synth and new wave) and fought for creative freedom almost his whole career, opening the door for many artists after him. Over the course of his 40-year career, Prince released 39 studio albums, earned 30 Grammy nominations, won seven, and received an Academy Award, for the original song score of Purple Rain. Five of his singles topped the charts and 14 other songs hit the Top 10 earning him a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Known not only for his music and persona, we gathered a some lesser known facts about the pop icon which prove that Prince was ahead of his time, impossible to replicate and will certainly be missed as one of the greatest artists of all time.

Young Talent
Musically gifted from a young age, Prince penned his first song at just seven on his father's piano. It was called Funk Machine. And when he was 10 he jumped on stage with the legendary James Brown until the bodyguards forced him off.

Ahead of his time
In 1993, during a feud with Warner Bros., Prince decided to change his name to an invented (and now universally recognised) symbol.Completely insane at the time, Prince in fact created a benchmark that a lot of artists have tried to emulate since.

Song Writer extraordinaire
Prince has written/composed more songs than the Beatles (over 600 in fact). Some of those were songs for other artists, which include Manic Monday for the Bangles, I Feel For You for Chaka Khan, Nothing Compares 2 U for Sinéad O'Connor and How Come You don't Call me for Alicia Keys.

Prince of Charity
Not only did Prince perform in many charity concerts he supported and gave generously to multiple charities throughout his life, but made a point never to mention or broadcast his generosity to the media.

Prince of the Court
Despite being 5'2 (surprising right?) Prince was a very good basketball player during his high school years. He also followed basketball intensely as an adult and was a huge fan of Michael Jordan.

Royal Feud
Prince and the then Queen of Pop Madonna have been feuding since the 80s. After playing guitar on one of her most famous songs Like a Prayer (we bet you didn't know that, did you?) the Material Girl cut out most of it (jealous). They also briefly dated and haven't got along since. She once described him as a little troll and he is known to have said "I got more hits than Madonna's got kids." Yeah you do Prince!

Royal Names
Other than a nameless symbol, Prince also had a multitude of nicknames. These include, The Kid, The Purple Purv, The Minneapolis Midget, Alexander Nevermind, Christopher Tracy, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, Skipper and his female alter ego Camille.

Summoned by the Prince
The pop icon wasn't a fan of interviews and had a habit of keeping people waiting when they requested collaborations or to use his songs for their projects. However, it was he who emailed and asked Zooey Deschanel to star on her hit show New Girl. He was a fan of the show and the epiode that featured him is one of the most memorable to date.

Off the Stage!
Another reason to love Prince. He kicked Kim Kardashian off his stage! In 2011 when he summoned Kim Kardashian to dance, she simply stood there looking awkward. "Get off the stage!" That's right - when the Prince commands you to dance, you dance!

Prince Fabulocity
Prince was known for his extreme and avant-garde looks and clothes on and off the stage influencing scores of musicians and artists after him. Seriously, look at a passport photo he shared on Twitter earlier this year. Could he be more naturally flamboyant?