Prince works as a musician.
Prince Rogers Nelson ( June 7 , 1958 -- April 21 , 2016 ) was an American singer-songwriter , actor , multi-instrumentalist , philanthropist , dancer and record producer . He won seven Grammy Awards , an American Music Award , a Golden Globe Award , and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 , his first year of eligibility . Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince , the first to feature his backing band The Revolution , and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name . The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum , located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland , Ohio , recognizes and archives the history of the best-known and most influential artists , producers , engineers , and other notable figures who have had some major influence on the development of rock and roll .