Prince

We lost icons in 2016, but also musicians less well-known to American audiences. Here, we pay tribute to them all.

According to Dr. Daniel Ashton, the media landscape we live with today is an opportunity to examine the heightened visibility and increasingly intimate relationship between the public and celebrities like Muhammad Ali, David Bowie and Prince.

The pop star wasn’t a huge fan of the music industry or online streaming. But this also policed uses of his likeness — even individual’s tattoos.

In the early ’80s, Prince and Bowie were changing the sound of pop. Sonny Lê had just arrived, a refugee from Vietnam, and didn’t know where he would fit in America — until he discovered their music.

The world lost a music icon on Thursday with the news that legendary singer Prince died. The 57-year-old was found unresponsive at his studios in Minnesota. Grieving fans around the world visited makeshift memorials and city officials draped buildings in purple light.