Prince, the legendary label-defying musician whose death at 57 was confirmed on Thursday, was many things: an icon of music, a voice against corporate strength, the patron saint of the Minneapolis art scene.
In 1984, when TIME interviewed the artist about the release of Purple Rain, his co-star Apollonia asked Prince a question that stumped him: “Is there anything you can’t do?”
His eventual answer was something of a throwaway—”Anything I can’t do? Yeah. I can’t cook.”—but it was still revealing. His aura of supreme confidence was just one of the many things that made Prince stand out.
Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter
And his confidence was well-earned, even so early in his career, as TIME summed up:
Read the full interview with Prince from 1984: His Highness of Haze
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com