Prince: My Name Is

He did not grow up in a palace, yet Prince Rogers Nelson was born with a regal name. Other labels like the Love Symbol, His Royal Badness, Joey Coco, Jamie Starr, Skipper and The Artist Formerly Known as Prince would belong to him during his 57 years. Overcoming epilepsy, he wrote the first of 600 songs at only age 7 and played in his own "Grand Central" band at 13. A small 5'2" frame did not keep him from becoming a basketball star in high school. The son of a jazz singer and pianist, he would go on to play 27 instruments, collect 121 guitars and pioneer the Minneapolis sound. His "Purple Reign" masterpiece would rule as #1 song, album and film in 1984 then yield an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. An extravagant persona and wide vocal range filled with falsetto and high-pitched screams would live on. Only a drug overdose from fentanyl would stop the music.