On Thursday, April 21 the world mourned the death of pop music icon Prince. The musician was just 57 years old at the time of his passing and had just completed a solo tour that spanned Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. Fans across the country honored the late singer-songwriter in many different ways, including the President, who professed his strong admiration for Prince in a statement.
Prince transcended boundaries throughout his career. Hailing from Minnesota, the same land that inspired Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, his eccentric criticism of the music industry raised eyebrows. A flawless vocalist, Prince also played the guitar, keyboard and drums effortlessly. In this week’s wrap, we take you through some media coverage that shows how a nation is honoring an icon.
As soon as they learned of his death, many Minneapolis fans made their way over to Prince’s recording complex, Paisley Park studios. Fans gathered in the early morning rain and made makeshift memorials. Prince was reportedly treated the week before his death for dehydration but threw a dance party at Paisley Park the weekend before his passing to assure people that he was fine. On the night of April 21, the venue that saw Prince transform into a star – First Avenue in Minneapolis – hosted a free, over-18 dance party in his honor.
As soon as night fell on the 21st, splotches of purple began to appear across the city of Pittsburgh in honor of Prince. In downtown, the Gulf Tower turned purple when darkness fell. The Homestead-Grays Bridge in Homestead was also bathed in purple, thanks to the purple spotlights set up by The Waterfront. The lights that shine on the Homestead-Grays Bridge can change colors to correspond to many different occasions. This one however was particularly special. Prince played five shows in Pittsburgh during his years in the limelight, the last one as recently as 2004, for the Musicology tour.
Cities across the country honored Prince in their own ways. In New Orleans, the Superdome glowed purple the night following his death, as did Madison Square Garden in New York City. Stars of the Broadway musical The Color Purple performed a rendition of Prince’s hit “Purple Rain,” posting an online video of the performance as well. On the West Coast, a vigil in Los Angeles quickly turned into a party. Huge speakers blasted Prince hits and deep cuts, filling Leimert Plaza Park with the lively music of an icon. Needless to say, tears soon turned to singing and dancing.
Big Prince fan? We want to hear about it in the comments below!
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Sam Bojarski is an associate at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at sam.bojarski@wordwritepr.com.
