Born Prince Rogers Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pop icon Prince celebrates his 53rd birthday today. 

Prince might be too busy to celebrate though as he's currently about 19 shows deep into his "21-Night Stand" Welcome 2 America Live residency at The Forum in Inglewood, California. Coming at a time when Prince had no album to sell or anything else to promote, the fervor surrounding his impromptu concert series only solidifies his status as an icon. 

Since the 1980s Prince has strung together a vast, eclectic body of work including his classic Purple Rain (1984) album which sold more than 10 million copies in the United States and held down the #1 spot on the pop charts for 24 weeks. Over the years Prince has only continued to build on that legacy releasing 10 platinum-selling albums, more than 30 Top 40 singles and receiving multiple Grammy Awards.

Check out some classic footage from the BET Awards 2010 special tribute to the icon.

(Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)