Prince: Pictures of the artist through the years
The album, "Prince -For You," released on April 7, 1978, was the musician's first album.
The album, "Prince" released on Oct. 19, 1979, was his second album.
Credit: AP / Blaise Edwards
Singer-songwriter Prince performs at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada, on Dec. 2, 1984.
Credit: Photofest / Robert Reiff
In his 1984 movie "Purple Rain," Prince starred with Apollonia Kotero. It was directed by Albert Magnoli.
Credit: AP / Liu Heung Shing
Prince performs during a telecast of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 1985.
Credit: AP
Prince performs during the 27th annual Grammy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 27, 1985. He received three Grammys.
Credit: Steve Parke
Prince in an undated photo.
A Prince CD cover.
Credit: AP
Singer-songwriter Prince on the dance floor at the Limelight nightclub in Manhattan in March 1985.
Credit: AP / Phil Sandlin
Prince performs at the Orange Bowl in Miami on April 7, 1985, during his Purple Rain tour.
Credit: AP / Rob Burns
Prince performs in concert at Riverfront Coliseum during his "Purple Rain" tour in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Jan. 22, 1985.
Credit: AP / Nick Ut
Musician Prince is all smiles as he addresses the audience at the American Music Awards In Los Angeles on Jan. 27, 1986.
Credit: AP / Liu Heung Shing
Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 18, 1985.
Credit: AP / Liu Heung Shing
Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 18, 1985.
Credit: AP / Bjorn Elgstrand
Prince plays at an ice hockey stadium in Stockholm during the start of a European tour on May 8, 1987.
Credit: AP / Reed Saxon
Prince in January 1995.
Credit: AP / Richard Drew
Prince, with the word "Slave" written across his face, belts out a tune from his new CD, "Chaos and Disorder," outside the studio of NBC-TV's "Today" show in Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan on July 9, 1996.
Credit: AP / Adam M. Bettcher
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince performs at the debut of his album, "Emancipation," at his Paisley Park studio in Chanhassen, Minn., on Nov. 12, 1996.
Credit: Newsday / John Keating
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince and his wife, Mayte Garcia, talk with Spike Lee as the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on March 10, 1996.
Credit: AP / Anders Krusberg
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince and his wife, Mayte Garcia, watch the Knicks play the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan on March 10, 1996.
Credit: AP
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince and his wife, Mayte Garcia, perform at the VH1 Fashion and Music Awards in December 1995. The two were set to marry on Valentine's Day on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 1996.
Credit: AP/ Adam Nadel
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince on July 22, 1997. Thides Leasing Corp. filed a lawsuit Aug. 16, 1999, claiming the Artist used their motor coach between May and October 1998 but never paid for it.
Credit: AP / Mark J. Terrill
Prince performs in Universal City, Calif., on April 10, 1997. The singer who once provoked shock waves with his X-rated lyrics has sworn off cursing and is preaching about the importance of virtue in the May edition of Gotham magazine.
Credit: AP / Mark J. Terrill
Prince, who then went by The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, backstage at the 28th annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony in Pasadena, Calif., on Feb. 8, 1997. The musician invited a few hundred friends at $15 per person to a post-concert party to raise money for charity at an Evansville, Ind. bar Monday, Jan. 5, 1998, then showed up himself for only a few minutes.
Credit: AP / Amy Sancetta
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince introduces George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Tuesday, May 6, 1997.
Credit: Fox / Ron Tom
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince opens the 28th NAACP Image Awards honoring positive portrayals of African-Americans in television, film, literature and music on Feb. 27, 1997.
Credit: AFP / Jon Levy
The Artist Formally Known as Prince leaves the Gianni Versace Fall 1997 Versus fashion show on April 5, 1997, during New York Fashion Week.
Credit: AP / Mark J. Terrill
Prince performs a medley of "Take Me With U" and "Raspberry Beret" at the 4th annual VH1 Honors in Universal City, Calif., on April 10, 1997.
Credit: AP / Suzanne Plunkett
Former Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, left, shares the stage with Prince -- who then was known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince -- during a surprise appearance at a nightclub on Friday, April 10, 1998, in Manhattan.
Credit: AP / Bernd Kammerer
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince performs at the Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany, on Dec. 22, 1998, during the first of three concerts in Germany as part of his "New Power Soul" tour.
Credit: AP / Bernd Kammerer
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince performs at the Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany, on Dec. 22, 1998, during the first of three concerts in Germany as part of his "New Power Soul" tour.
Credit: AFP / Tim Clary
The Artist Formerly Known as Prince and filmmaker Spike Lee, a New York Knicks season ticket-holder, during an NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 8, 1998.
Credit: BPI
Prince, who then went by The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, announced he would do something he said he didn't anticipate ever doing again: Releasing an album, "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic," through a major record label on Nov. 9, 1999.
Credit: Prince
The album cover of Prince's albumn "1999," released in (when else?) 1999.
Prince, the musician and entertainer in an undated photo.
Credit: AP / Suzanne Plunkett
Prince, in Manhattan on May 16, 2000, about three weeks before his 42nd birthday.
Prince, the musician and entertainer in and undated photo.
Credit: Los Angeles Times / Richard Hartog
Prince and Beyonce in the opening performance at the 46th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2004.
Credit: Getty Images / Frank Micelotta
Prince and Beyonce during the opening performance at the 46th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, 2004.
Credit: NPG Music 2004 / Afshin Shahidi
Prince performs during his tour, Musicology Live 2004ever.
Credit: AP / Chad Rachman
Prince arrives for a Manhattan party celebrating the release of his new album "Musicology" on April 20, 2004.
Credit: AP / Chad Rachman
Prince arrives for a party celebrating the release of his new album "Musicology" in Manhattan on April 20, 2004.
Credit: AP / Afshin Shahidi
Prince performs during a tour promoting his new album, "Musicology" at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Ill., on April 10, 2004.
Credit: AP
Prince in an undated photo that was released by Sony Music Entertainment, March 23, 2004. He had struck a deal at the time with Sony's Columbia Music to put out his album "Musicology."
Credit: AP/ Afshin Shahidi
Prince performs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during a tour to promote his new album, "Musicology" on March 29, 2004.
Credit: Getty Images / Chris Graythen
Prince performs during the 10th Essence Music Festival at the Superdome in New Orleans on July 2, 2004.
Credit: AP / Kevork Djansezian
Prince arrives with his wife Manuela Testolini for the Academy Awards on Feb. 27, 2005, in Los Angeles. Prince was a presenter during the Oscars telecast.
Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter
Musician Prince performs on stage during the 36th NAACP Image Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on March 19, 2005.
Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter
Musician Prince performs during the 36th NAACP Image Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on March 19, 2005.
Credit: Getty Images / Vince Bucci
Prince performs during the "American Idol" Season 5 finale at what was then the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on May 24, 2006.
Credit: VNU / Afshin Shahidi
Prince in a promotional photo for his album "3121," released in March 2006.
Credit: Getty Images / Peter Kramer
Musician Prince performs during ABC's "Good Morning America" concert series in Bryant Park on June 16, 2006.
Credit: SNL
Prince and Tamar Braxton perform on "Saturday Night Live" in October 2006.
Credit: AP / Alex Brandon
Prince performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium in Miami on Feb. 4, 2007.
Credit: AP / Chris O'Meara
Prince performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl XLI in Dolphin Stadium in Miami on Feb. 4, 2007.
Credit: AP / Chris Carlson
Prince accepts the award for outstanding male artist at the 38th NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2007.
Credit: AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth
Pop superstar Prince speaks during a news conference in London on May 8, 2007.
Credit: MCT / Gary W. Green
Prince performs during a news conference at the Miami Beach Convention Center on Feb. 1, 2007. It was a promotion for his halftime show during Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4.
Credit: AP / Wilfredo Lee
Prince plays his guitar during a press conference at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla., on Feb. 1, 2007.
Credit: AP / Chris Pizzello
Prince performs during the second day of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 26, 2008.
Credit: Kristian Dowling
Prince performs as part of a series of three shows called "One Night. . .Three Venues" at NokiaTheatre in Los Angeles on March 28, 2009.
Credit: Getty Images / Joe Klamar
Prince presents the winner for record of the year during the 55th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2013.
Credit: Getty Images
Prince speaks during the 55th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2013.
Credit: EPA / Marc Ducrest
Prince performs during the 47th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland on July 14, 2013.
Credit: Getty Images
Prince performs at SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 16, 2013.
Credit: Getty Images / Cindy Ord
Prince performs with 3Rdeyegirl, his backing band since 2014, during his "HitnRun" tour at Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, on May 23, 2015.
Credit: Getty Images / Kenzo Tribouillard
Prince attends the French Open round of sixteen match between Spain's Rafael Nadal and Serbia's Dusan Lajovic at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on June 2, 2014.
Credit: NBCUniversal
Prince, a presenter, speaks during the 72nd annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 11, 2015.
Credit: Getty Images / Kevork Djansezian
Beck, left, accepts the album of the year award for "Morning Phase" from Prince onstage during The 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2015.
Credit: Getty Images / Kevork Djansezian
Prince speaks during the 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2015.
Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter
Prince presents The Weeknd the award for favorite soul/R&B album for "Beauty Behind the Madness" at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, 2015.
Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter
Prince onstage during the 2015 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, 2015.
Credit: Getty Images / Chelsea Lauren
Prince performs onstage during the "HitnRun" tour at The Fox Theatre in Detroit, Mich, on April 9, 2015.
