Prince Is Already No. 1 on iTunes, Just 45 Minutes After News of Death Breaks

Just 45 minutes after the tragic news of Prince’s passing broke, the artist was already No. 1 on iTunes.

“The Very Best of Prince” became the Top Album, with the “Purple Rain” soundtrack gaining on it. The music to the feature film was No. 3 at the time of this writing. Prince’s “The Hits/The B-Sides” hit the iTunes chart at No. 9.

No individual Prince songs currently occupy the iTunes Top 10. For the time being, country singer Sturgill Simpson (“A Sailor’s Guide to Earth”) is the man separating “Very Best” and “Purple Rain.”

The legendary guitarist, singer and occasional actor kept his music off of YouTube and streaming music sites, leaving fans flocking to iTunes.

TMZ first reported the rocker’s passing at 9:49 a.m. PT on Thursday, April 20.