coming up on "early today," the out pouring around the globe, emotional at time, and the latest on what killed the music legend at the age of 57. the donald may be get anything line with the republican establishment, while sanders is fighting for political oxygen. president obama prepares to meet queen elizabeth, while nudging them not to jump ship. "early today" starts right now. good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. disbelief, stunning death of music icon, prince. the 57-year-old was found

unresponsive in his home thursday and was declared dead a short time later. an autopsy is scheduled for today. in his home state, a sea of fans gathered outside the minneapolis music venue first avenue last night, that's where he filmed "purple rain." self-titled paisley park home. brooklyn, spike lee organized a street dance party outside his music studio. they danced throughout the afternoon. ♪ >> on broadway, the cast of "hamilton" of "let's go crazy," "purple rain" by buildings in purple. a slew of remembrances of those who knew him.

from prince's long time friend, sheila e, the meaning has taken on new meaning. thank god love lives forever. paul mccartney tweeted, thank god this creative giant. oprah tweeting, the doves really are crying now. on facebook, president obama called him one of the most gifted and prolific mu shsicianf our time. nbc's ron mott has more on the life and death of prince. >> over the years, he was called many things. icon, legend, genius. even the symbol for which there was no name. a shocked and saddened musical world calling him a lost treasure. a fan outside his famous paisley park, to industry giants like

arethea franklin, getting the news. >> prince is gone, but the music will go on. >> what was it about it him do you think? >> i don't know. everybody loved prince. ♪ >> mtv about the time prince was turning into a mega star in the early '80s interrupted its programming. ♪ >> his music was transcended, paid respects to him throughout the day and evening. he was much more than a musician. an artist in every sense of the word. a masterful showman, he understood the business of making music and money. ♪ >> who was prince, i don't know. that's kind of the way he wanted

it. >> late last week, hours after a performance in atlanta, di whirring concert goers reported nothing out of the ordinary, he fell ill on the plane ride home which made an emergency land anything illinois. he was treated and released saturday morning, throwing a release dance party in true prince fashion. but something went wrong. medical personnel dispatched to his home and studios around 9:45 local time found unresponsive in an elevator. his publicist confirming the death a short time later. unrelenting out pouring of grief and memories. madonna, called him a true visionary. i'm devastated she said on twitter. ♪ purple rain, purple rain ♪ >> fittingly, it's been raining. >> he will be missed.

musical legend dead at the age of 57. now for the race of the white house, a big meeting in florida, front-runner donald trump making a move towards the middle. during a "today" town hall thursday, he spoke out against the lgbt bathroom law, while paul manafort says he has a different persona than the one he shows in public. on the democratic side, allies of bernie sanders are planning to meet after the primary season to discuss the future of the movement, galvanized by the senator's campaign. he sat down with nbc andrea mitchell since his loss in new york. he says the path to nomination won't be easy. >> realistic, it's a hard path. look, if we do not have a majority, it will be very hard for us to win. >> nbc tracie potts is in

washington with more. >> cruz and kasich have no path to victory. it's over. irreleva it's over. >> ted cruz and john kasich say they're going nowhere. >> don't worry about anybody else's. >> pushing back at donald trump north carolina bathroom law. donald trump says it's okay for transgender people to use the bathroom. >> grown adult men, strangers should not be alone in a bathroom with little girls. >> cruz in indiana overnight. >> we are a going to spend a lot of time here hoping to earn your votes. >> the primary the may 3rd. hillary clinton heads back to pennsylvania after another gun safety forum. >> we have too many guns in this country, in the wrong hands. >> many cases, i'm being a tacked by the clinton people very unfairly. >> bernie sanders tells nbc he won't back off clinton, and

still thinks he is the best shot of winning in november. tracie potts, nbc, washington. president obama arrives in london, amid fierce debate whether to leave the european union. op-ed publish in the telegraph. supporting david rcameron, remaining part of the eu. long time ties to great britain and argued when it comes to creating growth in line with our values, the uk has benefited. he and the first lady will lunch with queen elizabeth, ii, marking their third meeting. 90-year-old monarch has met 12 presidents, all the way back to harry truman. outside of windsor castle, ron, what does the president hope to accomplish this weekend? >> well, this is the easy part of the trip. he is here to have lunch with the queen, as you said, joined by the first lady.

purely social engagement. although it would be interesting to hear what this he have to say to each other. the president and the queen have some rapport, because they've met on a number of occasions. of course, the queen's political views are never made public or any where else for that matter. later this evening, the president and first lady have dinner with william and kate and prince harry as well. so a lot of farewell visits you might say because obviously president obama is unlikely to come here during his remaining months in office. the hard part is when he meets with david cameron, the prime minister issue. the president is receiving a lot of very strong criticism from the group in britain that want it is leave the eu for taking sides. they accuse the president of meddling. a larger group where there is

some, giving away. it is a complicated issue, but the bottom line, he is arguing that britain is a stronger country in the eu and a stronger partner with the united states as apart of europe. of course, america is concerned about trade, economics, security. particularly with such a huge threat on the continent posed by isis and other terrorist groups. >> nbc's ron mott. thank you so much. earth day, let's check in with the meteorologist. a big day, right. >> we live on this beautiful place, right. a view of space. a wide view. gorgeous green and blue. you can see the tropical conversion zone, and then we have our westerlies we're dealing with as we watch the storm system coming into the west and another one heading to the east coast. you head out the door this morning, you can see the storm system moved on shore, we're watching the bans of rain and higher elevations in northern

california and moving up towards olympics. as far as rain, it does appear it least progressive. there will be some bans and spirals that will come on shore. as we go throughout the forecast, 6:00 a.m., and now through the 9:00, by the time we get to rush hour, this evening, scattered showers. the worst will be up there in the areas of the mountain. a little inconvenience type weather in the northern idaho,e to the coast, chance for rain. the good news, many areas of the west, today will be the worst day of the next three. weekend should be improving. >> that's nice. i always give you credit.

>> i'm responsible for the good stuff. >> that's what i mean. all right, big news ahead for anyone that rides uber, plus jail time for the man behind the capitol hill gyrocopter. you're watching "early today." . what's it like to not feel 100% fresh? we don't know. we swish listerine®. as do listerine® users. the very people we studied in the study of bold. people who are statistically more likely to stand up to a bully. do a yoga handstand. and be in a magician's act. listerine® kills 99% of bad breath germs so you can feel 100% in life. bring out the bold™. it's easy to love your laxative when that lax loves your body back. only miralax hydrates, eases and softens to unblock naturally, so you have peace of mind om start to finish. love your laxative. miralax.

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so do you remember the man who flew a gyro copt ter on to the capitol hill. 62-year-old douglas hughes needed guilty without a certificate, after he served the four months in jail, he will face a year of probation during which he'll be barred from the capitol and white house grounds. he said it was worth the jail time because it got out the word about his cause. fbi director is giving new details about how much it cost to unlock the iphone used by one of the san bernardino attackers.

he hinted that the tool that cracked the iphone cost more than $1 million. >> how much did you pay for the software? >> a lot. >> really? >> let's see. more than i will make in the remainder of this job, which is seven years and four months for sure. >> wow. >> and so it is a -- but it was in my view worth it. >> all right. let's do the math. he is paid about $180,000 a year. multiplying that, $1.3 million. the fbi has refused to disclose the outside party that unlocked the phone. over 100 firefighters at a furniture warehouse near chicago. 50 employees inside. evacuated safely without injuries. the cause of the fire yet to be determined. let's get down to business with landon dowdy. good morning, landon. >> hi there. happy friday to you. the dow and s&p 500, snapping a

three-day winning streak. the sectors on the biggest decline, more than 2% down. the rally took a pause after disappointing earnings and stocks closed near lows. more earnings to come today, general electric, mcdonald's. uber has agreed to pay up to $100 million in class action lawsuits, california and massachusetts. the drivers will remain as independent contractors and not employees. a sears holdings announced it will close 68 kmarts and sears this summer. closing unprofitable stores, all of the sears and kmarts will close in late july, liquidation sales coming days. back to you. just ahead, an unconventional locker room tribute, minnesota twins, much more ahead.

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this morning on "today," principle's grammy and "purple rain" how it defined his career

and left a lasting legacy. in sports, the minnesota twins pay tribute with a locker room sing along with the rook s rookies. take a listen. >> baby you must -- little red corvette. baby you're much too -- little red corvette. ♪ little red corvette now to cincinnati, where the cub's jake arrieta threw his second no hitter. only six balls out of the infield. the reds haven't been hitless. last night, they trounced the team.

16-0. houston, the steph curry-less warriors, harden hits the -- fell short. they hope curry can play in game four on sunday. just ahead, first lady michelle obama goes prime time. we'll explain that. we've got your preview. you're watching "early today." it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do? drive three quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. i'm bushed! i've been on my feel alyea me too. excuse me...coming through! ride the gel wave of comfort

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biden. supporting service members and veterans with employment resources, all extras in the scene. real life military spouses. a new program aimed to take the suspense who will die next on "game of thrones." it is written by university students in germany. it uses an algorithm. according to the software, he has a 97% chance of kicking the bucket. next step is uncle, 96%. queen of the dragons, gets a 95% chance of saying the big old bite bite. i got all the names right. >> are you a "game of thrones" fan? >> no, i don't want it. >> how dare you be different. >> i'm moving out of movies before you chew me out. charlilate show, stephen co gave a tribute to the late great

prince. >> beautiful artist, not many people as influential to be known by one name, let alone by one color. but he was. so in a small gesture of respect tonight, we would like to change the set in his honor. >> that was beautiful. >> a nice touch. we were talking earlier like itunes and everything, someone was saying 18 of the top 20 songs were all prince songs. >> all about prince. i'm alex witt, and this is "early today." ♪ ♪ headache? motrin helps you be an unstoppable, let's-rock-this-concert- like-it's-1999 kind of mom. back pain? motrin helps you be the side-planking,

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♪ maybe i'm just too d demanding. ♪ maybe i'm just like my mother ♪ >> leading in the news in the new york times, a hometown hero. residents gathered outside his home and throughout the city to honor the late singer. lawmakers paused for a moment of silence. too large to describe. that's a good way to put it. in rolling stone, minnesota twins paid purple lit stadium. target field glowed yesterday. they tweeted, fitting it's raining in minnesota today. in the new york times, a stop on the subway, they paid its own

unique tribute. fans noticed the prince street subway stop got some alterations there yesterday. the new york will pay tribe but -- billboard, watch jennifer hudson's powerful performance, as broadway pays tribute to prince. hudson led the cast in a rendition after the show last night. ♪ purple rain purple rain >> good voice. >> chills. oh, my god. >> that was absolutely beautiful. well, finally, we leave you with a look back from the music of the legendary prince. we'll be listening to it for decades to come. i'm alex witt for "early today."

we hope you enjoy your weekend. ♪ tonight i'm going to party like it's 1999 ♪ ♪ she wore a raspberry beret the kind you buy in a second-hand store ♪ ♪ i would die for you if you want me to ♪ ♪ purple rain purple rain ♪ purple rain purple rain ♪ why do we scream at each other this is what it sound like when doves cry ♪ a sinkhole---- the size of a

swimming pool--- opens up in pacific heights. the scene is secure....but getting around parts of san >>. >> a sinkhole the size of a swimming pool opens up in pacific heights. the scene is secure, but getting around parts of san francisco could be bumpy this morning. >> and rain is dampening the start of your friday. a quick look at the golden gate bridge. slick roads out there. kari hall will have your timelines yet. morning turns into celebration on the streets of minneapolis remembering the life of prince this morning. "today in the bay" starts right now. hit after hit. it's been unbelievable. >> so many songs synonymous. >> it's