Beyond his far-reaching influence on the pop landscape, Prince leaves a lasting legacy as the first star to take on the music industry in a fight for creative — and financial — freedom. "Record contracts are just like — I'm gonna say the word — slavery," Prince, who died at the age of 57 on Thursday, told US public radio NPR in an interview. It's with Warner that Prince's crossing of swords was most acrimonious, even driving him to renounce his own stage name for several years in the 1990s.

By Piya Sinha-Roy and Jill Serjeant (Reuters) – An autopsy on U.S. music superstar Prince on Friday sought to determine why the innovative performer died, but authorities cautioned it could take weeks before the results are made public. The intensely private musician, whose hits included “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry,” was found dead at his home in suburban Minneapolis on Thursday at the age of 57, shocking millions of fans around the world and prompting glowing tributes by fellow musicians. The local Carver County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the circumstances of his death, and Sheriff Jim Olson was due to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. ET, 2000 GMT).

The icon was far more than just a singer.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — His Royal Badness didn't think much of the Internet — or iPhones, for that matter. And his once iconoclastic attitude toward the modern music industry helped inspire other artists to resist technological innovators such as Spotify.

Sheila E was Prince’s former fiancee and music collaborator.

NEW YORK (AP) — It's only April and already 2016 is a terrible year for music.

Grieving Prince fans drove the pop icon back to the top of the charts downloading some of his most famous hits following news of his death.

Tributes flooded in for Prince Thursday following his death at age 57, as the music world reeled from the sudden loss of one of the most influential pop artists of all time.

Getting record labels to sign off on licensing is tricky. That’s nothing compared to winning a case over the lack of licensing where the target is moving.

The cast of the hit musical ‘Hamilton’ as well as Jennifer Hudson, the lead in ‘The Color Purple,’ paid special musical tributes.

The film, which originally had been picked up by Alchemy, is now scheduled for release later this year.

The performer shares her photo diary from last Saturday before making her way back to Indio for weekend two.