Goodnight Sweet Prince: Timberlake, Madonna lead tributes to late legend

Tributes from celebrities and fans around the world poured in as the passing of music icon Prince was confirmed last night.

The seven-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer was pronounced dead on Thursday, April 21, 10.07AM (10.07PM GMT+7) at his mansion in Paisley Park, Minneapolis by the county’s deputies after the medical unit were unable to resuscitate him with a CPR. Prince was 57 years old.

In the wake of the devastating news, fellow artists like Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Rita Ora and took to social media to pay heartfelt tributes.

It was Raspberry Beret. I was 4 years old. Yes, 4. I remember that I instantly loved it. “Mommy, who is that singing?” Seems weird but it’s true. More than a “once in a lifetime” artist… Just a ONCE IN FOREVER ARTIST. I’m still in shock as I write this and I feel this overwhelming grief. But, we should all turn away from that and HONOR this musician that changed all of our lives, our perspectives, our feeling, our whole being. From another planet? Probably. Royalty, for sure. Us worthy..? Laughable. They say don’t meet your idols… That they let you down. But, some of my greatest, funniest (yes, he was hilarious), and most prolific encounters and conversations about music came from the moments that I spent with him. It would be silly to say that he has inspired our music… It’s beyond that. He’s somewhere within every song I’ve ever written. I am sad, but I will smile when I think of every second that I had the fortune of being in his company. We have lost our greatest living musician. But his music will never die. Prince, NOTHING COMPARES… #RIPPrince

A photo posted by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on Apr 21, 2016 at 11:04am PDT

He Changed The World!! A True Visionary. What a loss. I’m Devastated.? This is Not A Love Song.

A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on Apr 21, 2016 at 11:17am PDT

This is truly devastating news. The greatest performer I have ever seen. A true genius. Musically way ahead of any of us. Sang with him twice on stage. What an honour. Rest in peace you purple warrior. #Prince #RIP

A photo posted by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Apr 21, 2016 at 12:04pm PDT

My musical crush since my teenage years. I met Prince after his concert at London’s Earls Court in 1992. I said I would love to work with him and he said, come visit the studio. He asked me where my lyrics were and where would I like my mic set up. Joking with me. I did end up giving him lyrics for a song called Baby Doll. His driver delivered a cassette to me later that night. It was a demo of Prince singing and playing the song Baby Doll he had written using the lyrics. We never recorded it properly. I then had the privilege of visiting Paisley Park. It was a dream come true. Thank you for the music and memories. #ripprince #whendovescry

A photo posted by Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue) on Apr 21, 2016 at 11:05am PDT

❤️ #PRINCE

A photo posted by Rita Ora (@ritaora) on Apr 21, 2016 at 10:59am PDT

Various others currently on the road also honoured Prince at their shows with covers and their own songs or, if you’re The 1975, an image of the “Purple Rain” singer on the backdrop and purple stage lighting.

Santa Barbara – Prince forever

A photo posted by @trumanblack on Apr 21, 2016 at 10:08pm PDT

Mumford and Sons gave a rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O’Connor, which was written by Prince, at their show in St. Paul, Minnesota.

While performing in Paris, Mariah Carey dedicated Boyz II Men-collaborated “One Sweet Day” to her friend.

https://youtu.be/LdP624-In50

Further up north, Noel Gallagher had a show in Glasgow and dedicated Oasis track “Live Forever” for the late legend, not without a touching lead-up: “So, I was in a band once. We had an album called Standing on the Shoulders of Giants and one of those giants was Prince,” he told the SSE Hydro Arena crowd. “So you’re going to help me pay tribute to the great man and help me do ‘Live Forever’.”

https://youtu.be/UOc1NVjoXZM