NEW YORK • The family of Prince has told Mr Donald Trump to stop playing the late icon's songs at rallies, following a phalanx of other angry artists who have told the United States President to pull the plug.

"The Prince Estate has never given permission to President Trump or The White House to use Prince's songs and has requested that they cease all use immediately," tweeted the musician's half-brother, Mr Omarr Baker.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to an Agence France-Presse request for comment.

The President's team has reportedly added Purple Rain - one of Prince's best-loved tracks - to the playlist of recent rallies in the run-up to November midterm elections, including in Mississippi two weeks ago.

The complaint adds Prince to a long line of musicians or their representatives who have objected to Mr Trump's blasting out their tunes at his public rallies.

The Rolling Stones, Adele, Neil Young, R.E.M, Aerosmith, Queen and George Harrison are among acts that have lodged objections to the use of their music at Republican gatherings.

The family of Italy's late tenor Luciano Pavarotti, one of the most famous tenors of the 20th century, also criticised the use of his signature recording of blockbuster Puccini aria Nessun Dorma, a fixture at Mr Trump's 2016 rallies.

While United States law allows an artist to ask for his music not to be played at political campaigns, none has yet followed through with any legal action.

Prince died aged 57 in April 2016 from an accidental overdose of powerful painkillers.

He left no will and had no living children, with his siblings put in charge of keeping his estate afloat.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE