Among rock stars, Prince came off as almost otherworldly, an effete pansexual who cherished his own seclusion. Yet through that very image, and occasional forays into more direct advocacy, the artist became a unique political force.

Relishing the fluidity of his own image -- Prince was a straight African American yet was often mistaken for white, Hispanic or gay -- the gender-bending singer presented a new form of black masculinity in the age of hip-hop.

On Prince's 1981 album "Controversy," released days after he opened for the Rolling Stones dressed in bikini underwear and got booed off stage, the singer quipped that he was asked constantly if he was black or white, straight or gay.

The pop icon, who died suddenly Thursday at age 57, oozed sexuality both through his music and his inimitable fashion sense as he turned androgyny into a stylistic symbol.

From Jon Snow's vital signs to festering grudges over wedding dust-ups, hit HBO show "Game of Thrones" ended season five with more cliffhangers than a rock climbing convention.

With so many loose ends needing urgent attention, viewers can only be sure of one thing: winter is coming, and it's going to be tense, bloody and probably semi-nude.

Prince and Michael Jackson were two of the biggest names of the 1980s, musical superstars jostling for supremacy in a golden age of pop.

Loyal fans around the world delighted in debating whether Jackson's "Thriller" bested Prince's "1999" and "Purple Rain," and the media liked to play up the idea of a rivalry.

Prince produced dozens of commercially released albums over the course of his career, augmented by an extensive back catalog of work he kept in his vault at Paisley Park.

Here are some of his landmark releases, in chronological order:

Pop icon Prince -- whose pioneering brand of danceable funk made him one of music's most influential figures -- died Thursday at his compound in Minnesota. He was 57.

The announcement came just a week after the enigmatic Grammy and Oscar winner -- acclaimed for his guitar skills and soaring falsetto -- was taken to hospital with a bad bout of influenza, which he made light of after the scare.

Guy Hamilton, director of four James Bond films including classics "Goldfinger" and "Diamonds are Forever", has died aged 93, former Bond actor Roger Moore said Thursday.

Moore, who was directed by Hamilton in "Live and Let Die" and "The Man with the Golden Gun", tweeted that he was "incredibly, incredibly saddened to hear the wonderful director Guy Hamilton has gone to the great cutting room in the sky. 2016 is horrid".

Britain celebrated the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday with tributes to a popular monarch who has steered it through the decline of empire and a wave of scandals to the Internet age.

The sovereign, who has been on the throne since 1953, emerged from Windsor Castle dressed in a lime green outfit and matching hat to accept presents and flowers from hundreds of well-wishers.

Bill Cosby's wife on Tuesday completed her deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed by seven women who contend the comedian branded them as liars after they went public with sexual assault allegations against him.

Camille Cosby answered questions under oath for about 5 1/2 hours, according to Joe Cammarata, a lawyer for the women. Cammarata wouldn't discuss specifics of questions he asked during the civil deposition in Boston.

"The Huntsman: Winter's War" is one of the more bizarre sequels in recent memory. If modern movies are going to strip every side story out of every superhero universe and beyond, fairy tales should be fair game too. But, it's more than a little odd that the filmmakers here decided to follow up their feminist reimagining of the Snow White story with one focused on Eric the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) and the jilted, hysterical woman (Emily Blunt's Freya) who is trying to keep him apart from his true love (Jessica Chastain's Sara). If this is progress, count me out.