From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known by his given name Prince , was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. Prince was renowned as an innovator and was widely known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, and vocal range . He is regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound ; his music integrates a wide variety of styles, including funk , rock , R&B , soul , psychedelia , and pop . Prince was born in Minneapolis and developed an interest in music as a young child, writing his first song when he was seven years old. After recording songs with his cousin's band 94 East , 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album For You in 1978, under the guidance of manager Owen Husney. His 1979 album Prince went platinum due to the success of the singles " Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad? " and &