The measure of his influence extends far beyond even songs that he recorded. One short anecdote: In 1981, a British artist named Sheena Easton who had a pristine and proper, girl next door image had a billboard #1 hit with 'Morning Train', an incredibly cheesy pop song... She began dating Prince in 1985 and later scored a #9 billboard hit with 'Sugar Walls' written and produced by Prince, a hyper-sexual song with such lyrics as 'Come inside my sugar walls" - Some radio stations refused to play it and it was even briefly banned on MTV. He totally corrupted her. LOL.
Other songs written by Prince that became top 10 hits for other artists:
"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinead O'Connor
"Manic Monday" - The Bangles
"Glamorous Life" - Sheila E
...and I hate to mention it but would anyone be surprised if it's revealed that he had been suffering from AIDS? That was my first thought when I heard that he had passed away.