Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released following statement after it was announced that Minneapolis native Prince has died: “My heart is heavy with the news of Prince’s passing. To the people of Minnesota, Prince was a cultural ambassador. He inspired countless others around the world with his music and theatrics. Prince showed us it was okay to be different. He showed us that the best way to be cool was to be yourself. Prince wasn’t merely a pop star – to many of us, he was much, much more. “But the world will be a little less bright without Prince in it.”