Prince has removed himself from social media.

However, his two latest albums, 'Art Official Age' and 'Plectrum Electrum' remain available to stream on Spotify and his official YouTube channel still features three videos, one of an old interview and two clips of the track 'Breakfast Can Wait'.

He hasn't given an explanation behind the abrupt move, which comes just over a month after he took part in a fan question and answer session on his Facebook page.

After being inundated with messages, he opted to answer just one question about sound frequencies by submitting a link to a lengthy article on the subject.

In 2010, the 56-year-old star dec lared "the internet is completely over," and he once threatened to sue YouTube, along with eBay and torrent sites for illegally distributing his music.

At the beginning of the year, Prince abandoned plans to sue 22 alleged bootleggers for $1 million each after accusing them of posting footage of his concerts online.

The proposed legal action caused controversy because some of the sites named in the suit were fansites, causing fury among his devoted supporters.

One forum user wrote at the time: "Yes, bootlegging is wrong, but ... who is next? Dude will even go after regular ass fans ... really sad. Prince will be remembered for making some of the most beautiful music ever created and for hating his fans."