Prince Obituary (Reading comprehension)

Prince
, the legendary and innovative musician and actor, has died at age 57. A representative for the singer confirmed his death to the Associated Press.

"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57," his rep told Los Angeles TV station KTLA.

"Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson reports that on April 21st, 2016, at about 9:43 am, sheriff's deputies responded to a medical call at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement. "When deputies and medical personnel arrived, they found an unresponsive adult male in the elevator. First responders attempted to provide lifesaving CPR, but were unable to revive the victim. He was pronounced deceased at 10:07 am.

"The Carver County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death." Star Tribune reports that the medical examiner has scheduled an autopsy for Friday.

He'd cancelled some dates of his "Piano and a Microphone" tour in early April because of the flu, TMZ previously reported. A week ago, the singer was hospitalised after his private plane made an emergency landing after a show in Moline, Illinois. Varying reports said he was suffering dehydration and was getting over the flu. He was released after three hours and flew to Minneapolis, where he was recovering at home. 

Over the course of nearly four decades, Prince became an icon of artistry and individuality. Few musicians defined and redefined pop, rock, R&B, funk, soul and nearly every other musical genre imaginable like Prince, who issued his debut album in 1978.

He embraced controversy, presenting himself as an androgynous sexaholic in his album art and lyrics, and challenged conservative music ideals in his first decade on albums like 1999, Purple Rain and Sign 'O' the Times.

At the peak of his career in the early Eighties, Prince embraced acting. He starred in the 1984 blockbuster Purple Rain and would go on to appear in 1986's Under the Cherry Moon and 1990's Graffiti Bridge, the latter two of which he also directed. Additionally, he wrote the screenplay for Graffiti Bridge.

He went against music industry, renaming himself  an unpronounceable symbol at a time when he was protesting his record contract and refusing to bow to emerging formats like online music streaming. He distributed albums to concertgoers along with their tickets when that was a novel concept, and he planned other tours at the spur of the moment, dubbing them "hit and run" shows.

Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7th, 1958 in Minneapolis. His father, John Nelson, was the leader of a jazz band in the area, and his mother, Mattie, was a vocalist for the ensemble. "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do," his father once said.

Text adapted from: www.rollingstone.com

Vocabulary:

                                                     

profound = very great/ intense

deceased = dead

investigate = try to find the facts/ look into

scheduled = planned

autopsy = a process to find the reason someone died

hospitalised = put in hospital

dehydration = not drinking enough water

artistry = creative skill/ ability

debut = first

controversy = debate

androgynous = someone who looks like a man and a woman

conservative = doesn't like change/ traditional

emerging = coming out

dubbing = naming

vocalist = singer

ensemble = group

1: How old was Prince when he died?

2: Where did he die?

3: Why was he in hospital a week ago?

4: When did he release his first album?

5: What were the names of the films Prince appeared in?

6: Where and when was he born?

7: What did his parents do?

8: Why did they name him Prince?