--- ---  # President Obama Praises Prince as a 'Creative Icon'  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Apr 21, 2016 9:45 PM UTC  Prince performs during his "Welcome 2 America" tour at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 7, 2011 in New York. Prince performs during his "Welcome 2 America" tour at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 7, 2011 in New York.Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Apr 21, 2016 9:45 PM UTC President Barack Obama called Prince a “creative icon” and an “electrifying performer” after the [legendary musician died Thursday](http://time.com/4303558/prince-dead-paisley-park-57/?1&xid=homepage) at his [Paisley Park](http://time.com/4303574/paisley-park-prince-studios/) estate in Minnesota at the age of 57. “Few artists have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly, or touched quite so many people with their talent,” Obama said in a [statement](https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/04/21/statement-president-passing-prince). “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.” **Read more:** [Prince Tribute: Why He Was the Great Purple Genius of Paisley Park](http://time.com/4303566/prince-dead-paisley-park-obituary/?xid=homepage) [Prince performed with Stevie Wonder at the White House](http://time.com/3921658/barack-obama-prince-stevie-wonder/) last year during a private party hosted by the President and First Lady. The party was not an official presidential event, but guests still took to social media to praise the “unbelievable experience” of seeing Prince and Wonder perform together. “‘A strong spirit transcends rules,’” Prince once said — and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative,” Obama said on Thursday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his band, and all who loved him.‎” Prince Dead: Obama Praises Performer as 'Creative Icon' ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4304190/prince-dead-barack-obama-reaction/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4304190/prince-dead-barack-obama-reaction/"},"headline":"President Obama Praises Prince as a 'Creative Icon'","datePublished":"2016-04-21T21:45:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:57:14.190Z","description":"\"Nobody's spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative\"","url":"https://time.com/4304190/prince-dead-barack-obama-reaction/","keywords":["White House","Music"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9574bc281410fd77/6988903b0a4a22af079c95dc/prince-musician-dead-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9574bc281410fd77/6988903b0a4a22af079c95dc/prince-musician-dead-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Prince Dead TIMEHP","caption":"Prince Dead","creditText":"Kevin Mazur—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/white-house/","name":"White House"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4304190/prince-dead-barack-obama-reaction/","name":"President Obama Praises Prince as a 'Creative Icon'"}}]}] ```