As fans worldwide lamented the loss of “a creative icon,” as U.S. President Barack Obama called Prince in a statement about the legendary musician's death, medical examiners warned that results of Friday’s autopsy might not be made public for weeks.
Obama said he listened to Prince's songs “Purple Rain” and “Delirious” on Friday morning at the U.S. ambassador's residence in London, where he is staying. He called Prince's death "a remarkable loss" during a news conference in London with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
"The doves are really crying now," American media mogul Oprah Winfrey said about the death of Prince, referencing his song “When Doves Cry.”
The 57-year-old artist died Thursday morning at his home outside the northern U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson told reporters during a news conference Friday that there were no obvious signs of trauma on Prince's body and there was no reason to suspect suicide in the musician's death.
Olson said that following the death, police issued a search warrant for Prince's home and canvassed the scene, which he said was normal procedure. Olson said he could not comment on whether police took any items out of Prince's home.
Sheriff's officials say deputies found music superstar Prince unresponsive in an elevator after they were summoned to the Paisley Park Studios complex where he lived. He was pronounced dead after their attempts to revive him failed.
The local medical examiner's office said Friday that preliminary results of the autopsy will take days and the results of a full toxicology scan could be weeks.
A spokeswoman at the medical examiner's office told reporters Friday that the chief medical officer was at the scene of Prince's death for several hours. She said the officer performed a full autopsy Friday, then released Prince's body to his family.
911 call
Prince was hospitalized last week. His private plane made an emergency landing in Illinois following concerts in Georgia. No details were released at the time regarding his health.
An unidentified male who called the 911 operator to get emergency help for Prince did not know the address of the musician's home, according to a transcript of the conversation. He said "We're at Prince's house. ... And the people are just distraught."
A day after Prince's death, a steady stream of people filed past his home, leaving flowers and cards.
Huge loss
Prince was not a stage name. He was born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis.
"For the residents of Minneapolis, the loss of Prince is too large to describe," Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said in a statement. "He was one of us. He gave us more opportunities to hear his music than anyone else. What a blessing. Only now may we realize how lucky we were."
‘Peerless’ talent
Prince was just 19 when he released his first album, For You, in 1978. In the decades that followed, the multi-talented musician released “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “Purple Rain,” the title track of his breakthrough 1984 album and movie.
He sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, won seven Grammys and picked up an Oscar for Best Original Song score for “Purple Rain.”
Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
"He rewrote the rulebook, forging a synthesis of black funk and white rock that served as a blueprint for cutting edge music in the '80s," said a posting on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website. "Prince made dance music that rocked and rock music that had a bristling, funky backbone."
Clive Davis, chief creative officer at Sony Music said, "Prince was peerless as a musician, performer and songwriter. ... To know Prince personally was to know someone kind and gentle, phenomenally brilliant and intellectually curious, with every bone in his body loving music."
New York tribute
About a thousand people sang and danced to Prince's music Thursday night outside filmmaker Spike Lee's headquarters in Brooklyn at an impromptu street party to honor Prince. Lee said simply, "I miss my brother. Prince was a funny cat."
"And just like that ... the world lost a lot of magic. Rest in peace, Prince! Thanks for giving us so much," said pop singer Katy Perry.
Rapper MC Hammer wrote, "I loved this man. Too soon. Can't comprehend it but it's unfortunately true. Heaven is yours. RIP #Prince #RIPPrince."
"Today is the worst day ever. Prince, R.I.P., I am crying!" said British singer Boy George.
Sales of Prince's music have soared since news broke of the pop star's death.
(Photo by Yves Lorson: Prince in Belgium, 1986.)
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