Awe-inspiring musician Prince has died age 57

One of the most talented, dynamic and awe-inspiring musicians of all time, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died today at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota. He was 57 years old. 

Details are vague, but we do know that he was hospitalised this week having been taken ill on a private flight. A fatality was initially reported at his studio complex. That fatality has now been confirmed as being Prince. 

It's a sad, unexpected end to an astonishing career that saw him effortlessly melt funk, psychedelia and pop influences together as a songwriter. Coupled with his raw, head-bursting talent as a guitar virtuoso and his studied-yet-undeniable sexuality, Prince was a hero first in Minneapolis, then in America and then the world. He never stopped being a heroic figure, and it's hard to imagine that ending, even in death.