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Craig Clemens

April 21, 2016
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Prince, the multi-instrumentalist, genius and musical icon was confirmed dead this afternoon (April 21st) by his publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure.

After a medical emergency on April 15 that forced him to make an emergency landing in Illinois, Prince told his fans at a concert the next day that he had simply been battling the flu. He didn’t, however, perform at that show and told his fans to “wait a few days before you waste any prayers”.

We here at Playback are really at a loss for words as the immediate cause for his death are still unclear.

As the scripted memorandums arrive via Billboard, The New York Times, and CNN, we’re ultimately reminded of the how absolutely crazy his career and live performances were.

One thing that is a constant about stories about Prince, is that they’re all true. In one way or another incredible stories of genius, influence, artistic vision, and sometimes flat out arrogance, are all corroborated in one way or another. Frankly, they make for some of the greatest stories ever told.



Prince vs Charlie Murphy from American Booze on Vimeo.

You’ll here a lot more of these in the coming days. I expect that the untold amount of biographies written about his life will be some of the greatest popular culture stories ever told. So, instead of extolling his influence and listing off a litany of accomplishments, we at Playback simply offer some of Princes most memorable moments.

“Dearly beloved / We are gathered here today / To get through this thing called “life” – Let’s Go Crazy, Purple Rain

1983 – Prince and Michael Jackson both attend a James Brown show and get up on stage


1989 – The Batdance

Prince – Batdance 1989 from Nhan Tran on Vimeo.

2007 – Prince performs at Superbowl XLI in the pouring rain


2011 – Tom Petty’s jaw drops to the floor as Prince destroys “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at a tribute to George Harrison



1980’s – A great documentary on the artist at the height of his powers and influence