Prince Rogers Nelson was born in 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He released his debut self-titled album in 1979 at age 18, which went platinum. Prince became hugely successful with albums such as 1999, Purple Rain in 1984 which sold over 20 million copies worldwide. In 1993, Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and was referred to as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince" until 2000 when he resumed using his birth name. Prince has had a prolific music career spanning over 40 years.