Prince's Death: Landmarks in Purple as America Mourns Icon

Every day, American landmarks are symbols of nostalgia, progress or hope. This weekend, many landmarks mark the passing of a music legend. Prince was found dead at 57 at his famed Paisley Park music studios on Thursday.

Lyrics on marquees across the country leave readers singing songs they learned 30 years ago while sitting by a boombox. Images of doves crying and, yes, lots of purple, are instant reminders of the sudden passing of an icon.

The tributes came in the form of statements, from the president's office on down to the fans who packed sold-out music halls to hear the electrifying artist play just days earlier.

They came as impromptu dance parties outside Paisley Park, and as soulful sing-alongs on Broadway.

And, oh so often, they came awash in purple -- the color Prince virtually trademarked during a nearly four-decade career via his wardrobe, his album artwork and his 1984 album and single, "Purple Rain."

In his hometown of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Twins -- a team that, by tradition, teaches its rookies the lyrics to Prince's "Little Red Corvette" -- honored the singer by lighting up their stadium in purple Thursday night.

The Terminal Tower in Cleveland was similarly lit purple as a tribute and even NASA got in on the act, tweeting an image of a purple nebula Thursday afternoon.

On Broadway, the cast of "The Color Purple," featuring Jennifer Hudson, paid their respects with an impromptu performance of "Purple Rain" after Thursday night's show.

"We lost a legend who is a good friend of mine," Hudson says in the video. "He said his music would live on and he would live through his music. We want to keep him alive today."

And if you're a fan of coincidence add Niagara Falls to the list. The waters of the famous waterfall also were lit in rich purple Thursday -- although that was actually a pre-planned tribute to Queen Elizabeth for her 90th birthday.

An autopsy was taking place Friday to try to determine Prince's exact cause of death.

The artist's death, at age 57, came after recent reports he'd been suffering from the flu and exactly one week after his final public performance, a pair of sold-out shows at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.

But those reports did little to prepare fans of Prince's nearly four-decade career for Thursday's news.

Carver County Sheriff's officers arrived at Prince's longtime studio around 9:45 a.m. local time in response to an emergency medical call, the department said in a news release. First responders found Prince in an elevator and began CPR but to no avail.

At 10:07 a.m., Prince was pronounced dead.

The Midwest Medical Examiners Office announced Friday that an autopsy began at 9 a.m.

"As part of a complete exam, relevant information regarding Mr. Nelson’s medical and social history will be gathered," the office said in a news release. "Anything which could be relevant to the investigation will be taken into consideration."

But results from the autopsy are not expected for a while. Gathering results will take several days, and a full toxicology report likely won't be available for several weeks, the release said.

Along with public displays, personal tributes continued pouring in Friday for Prince, a seven-time Grammy and one time Academy Award winner whose career of more than 35 years produced 39 albums, a body of work that established him as a living musical legend.

In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, Prince's ex-wife, Manuela Testolini, said she is building a school in his memory.

"Prince and I had a magical journey together and I loved him immensely," she said of their marriage. "I knew him as a husband, friend and fierce philanthropist. Philanthropy brought us together and it was Prince that encouraged me to start my own charity over 10 years ago."

Testolini’s foundation, In a Perfect World, has a program that funds construction of schools in some of the world's poorest countries.

In a statement Thursday, President Barack Obama honored Prince as "a creative icon."

"Michelle and I join millions of fans from around the world in mourning the sudden death of Prince," Obama said in the statement. "Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent. As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer."

In Atlanta, Scott Lambert, an exhibit and event-marketing professional, attended one of the two April 14 Fox Theater shows that would become Prince's last.

A solo affair featuring just Prince and his piano, the show had originally been scheduled for a week earlier, but was postponed because the artist was suffering from flu-like symptoms.

"If he was suffering from a sickness of any kind that night, it wasn’t apparent," said Lambert, himself a musician. "Granted, a show with just him and piano isn’t going to be super-crazy or anything, but he was getting into it, and his voice sounded amazing."

Like many fans, including those who by Friday had turned the gates of Prince's Paisley Park studios into a makeshift memorial, Lambert said he was still trying to come to terms with the death of a performer he called an inspiration.

"It’s weird thinking that those were the absolute last times he would ever play and sing those songs. Ever," he said. "We heard him sing 'Controversy' for the last time. 'I Wanna Be Your Lover,' 'Kiss,' 'Joy In Repetition,' 'U Got The Look' ... all for the very last time. It’s an odd feeling."

Particularly poignant in retrospect, Lambert said, was Prince's decision to perform a cover version of David Bowie's "Heroes" at the show.

Bowie, another pop-music icon, groundbreaker and trend-setter, died January 10.

Photo Credit: Town of Shrewsbury