Goodnight Sweet Prince: Prince's legacy, looking back from 2026

Singer, songwriter, record producer and flamboyant businessman Prince Rogers Nelson — yes, believe it or not, Prince was his real name — died 10 years ago today in his combination home, music and movie studio complex near Minneapolis. He was 57.

Prince's Life and Times

Here is the full timeline with proper casing:

June 7, 1958

Prince Rogers Nelson is born in Minneapolis. He's named after his father's jazz combo, the Prince Rogers Trio.

1976

Signs a three-record, $1 million contract with Warner Bros.

April 7, 1978

Warner Bros. releases his debut album, "For You." Prince plays all the instruments on the album and produces it himself, making the 19-year-old the youngest producer in the history of Warner Bros. at the time.

Oct. 11, 1981

Prince serves as the opening act for the Rolling Stones at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. He's not accepted well by the audience. When he opens his trench coat to reveal bikini briefs, he gets booed off the stage. Prince will never again perform as an opening act.

Oct. 27, 1982

Prince's fifth album, "1999," is released. It will sell 3 million copies and "Little Red Corvette" will become his first top 10 single.

"1999", the album, has now sold more than 6.4 million copies

July 7, 1984

"When Doves Cry" — from his upcoming movie "Purple Rain" — becomes Prince's first No. 1 hit. The soundtrack album from the movie will spend 22 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart on the strength of two No. 1 singles.

March 25, 1985

Prince wins an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the film "Purple Rain."

"Purple Rain" the album has sold more than 12 million copies.

April 19, 1986

Prince hits No. 1 once again with his single, "Kiss." At No. 2 on the Hot 100 is "Manic Monday" by the Bangles — which Prince also wrote.

July 2, 1986

His movie, "Under the Cherry Moon," opens in theaters. Prince directed this film himself. It'll win Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Actor, Worst Director, Worst Original Song and tie with "Howard the Duck" for Worst Picture.

1987

Moves into Paisley Park, a $10 million, 55,000-square-foot recording complex and movie studio in the suburbs of Minneapolis.

June 20, 1989

The soundtrack for the movie "Batman" — featuring music written and performed by Prince — is released. It'll sell 2 million copies and will spend six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

July 28, 1992

Prince trademarks the male/female symbol he has been using on various album covers and promotional materials.

Aug. 31, 1992

Prince extends his contract with Warner Bros. for a reported $100 million.

June 7, 1993

Prince is feuding with Warner Bros., which wants him to release fewer albums and won't let him out of his contract. On his 35th birthday, Prince changes his name to a redesigned version of the unpronounceable symbol he's been using. The entertainment media begins referring to him as the "Artist Formerly Known as Prince."

May 16, 2000

With his Warner Bros. contract terminated, Prince begins using his name again.

Feb. 14, 2001

Prince launches his own music subscription service, the NPG Music Club. He'll shut it down five years later.

March 15, 2004

Prince is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Feb. 4, 2007

Prince is featured as the halftime performer at Super Bowl XLI in Miami. He closes with "Purple Rain" — in the rain.

March 24, 2009

Launches another music subscription service, Lotusflow3r.com. For $77, users are granted access to his videos and music. It will shut down a year later.

April 7, 2016

Postpones two sold-out concerts scheduled for that night in Atlanta, because he says he has the flu. He reschedules them for the following week.

April 15, 2016

Returning from the shows in Atlanta, Prince's plane makes an unscheduled 1 a.m. landing in Moline, Illinois, where Prince is taken to a hospital. After he returns home later that day, Prince tweets: "#NowPlaying 'Controversy (Single Version)' by @Prince."

April 21, 2016

Prince is found unresponsive in an elevator at his home in Paisley Park. Medical personnel attempt CPR but are unable to revive him. Prince was 57.

June 2, 2016

An investigation shows Prince died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. It would come out later there were multiple bottles of opioid painkillers at Prince's residence.

Oct. 25, 2016

Paisley Park is opened to the public as a museum and for tours.

Aug. 14, 2017

Pantone announces a new color: Love Symbol No. 2 — named for Prince's famous unpronounceable symbol. Naturally, it's a shade of purple.

Prince's Single Chart History