Prince Dead at 57

The artist known as Prince has died ... TMZ has learned. He was 57.

Prince's body was discovered at his Paisley Park compound in Minnesota early Thursday morning.

Multiple sources connected to the singer confirmed he had passed.

The singer -- full name Prince Rogers Nelson -- had a medical emergency on April 15th that forced his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois. But he appeared at a concert the next day to assure his fans he was okay. His people told TMZ he was battling the flu.

Prior to his most recent appearance however, Prince had cancelled two shows due to health concerns.

                      

Prince became an international superstar in 1982 after his breakthrough album "1999."

He went on to churn out a ton of hits -- and racking up 7 Grammys in the process. He also performed at the Super Bowl in 2007 ... in one of the greatest live performances of all time.

He also sold more than 100 million records during his career ... and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for Purple Rain in 1985.


    source:tmz