10 things you might not know about the late Prince Rogers Nelson
Pretty much everyone alive in the "˜90s knows about Prince's infamous name change. Here's 10 things you might not have known about the artist currently known as Prince.
Recommended articles
In commemoration of this colorful life and the music he made, here are 10 very uncommon facts about the iconic singer.
1. Prince was a Jehovah's Witness.
Baptized in 2001, the Purple Rain star was a devout . And he even goes door-to-door! In October 2003, a woman in Eden Prairie, Minnesota opened her door to discover the famously shy artist standing in front of her home. He introduced himself as Prince Nelson and came inside along with his bassist, former Sly and the Family Stone member Larry Graham.
2. Prince is his real name.
Born to two musical parents on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, was named after his father's jazz combo.
3. He's written a lot of hit songs for other artists.
In addition to penning several hundred songs for himself, Prince also composed music for other artists, including "Manic Monday" for the , "I Feel For You" for , and "Nothing Compares 2 U" covered by .
4. His symbol actually had a name.
Even though the whole world referred to him as either or that weird symbol Prince used was actually known as "Love Symbol #2."It was copyrighted in 1997, but when Prince's contract expired at midnight on December 31, 1999, he announced that he was reclaiming his given name.
5. His sister sued him.
In 1989, Prince's half-sister, Lorna Nelson, sued him, claiming that she'd written the lyrics to "U Got the Look," a song from his ninth studio album that features the voice of pop artist . After a long court battle, a judge finally sided with Prince.
6. He ticked off the Vice President's wife.
After purchasing the Purple Rain soundtrack for her 11-year-old daughter, Tipper Gore—wife of Clinton vice president Al Gore—became enraged over the explicit lyrics of "Darling Nikki," a song that references masturbation and other graphic sex acts. Gore felt that there should be some sort of warning on the label and formed the Parents Music Resource Center, which pressured the recording industry to adopt a ratings system similar to the one employed in the movies. To Prince's credit, he didn't oppose the label system and became one of the first artists to release a "clean" version of explicit albums.
7. He lost a child.
Prince's son, Gregory, was born in November of 1996. Tragically, he died just one week later from a rare genetic condition called , which affects to growth of the skull. Prince and his then-wife, Mayte Garcia, refused to discuss the incident publicly and divorced in August of 2000.
8. He's a little like Willy Wonka.
In 2006, Universal hid 14 purple tickets—seven in the US and seven internationally—inside Prince's latest album, 3121. Fans who found a purple ticket were invited to attend a private performance at Prince's Los Angeles home.
9. He simultaneously held the number 1 spots for film, single and album.
During the week of July 27, 1984, Prince's film Purple Rainhit number one at the box office. At the same time, "When Doves Cry," was holding the top spot as both an album and a single. Talk about the best week ever.
10. He had a spiritual epiphany.
In 1987, Prince was due to release "The Black Album." However, mere days before it was scheduled to drop, Prince scrapped the whole thing, calling it "dark and immortal." (It's supposedly also really terrible.) The musician claims to have reached this decision following "a spiritual epiphany." Some reports say that it was actually an early experience with drug ecstasy, but maybe The Artist just knew it would flop.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
Recommended articles
Okyeam Kwame eyes Artiste of the Year award again
Court orders Mohbad's wife to allow DNA test on their son
Kofi Kinaata bows to pressure from fans, set to drop his 1st ever album
Ghanaian celebrities Mr Drew, Van Vicker, Champion Rolie unveil TECNO CAMON 30 Series in a star-studded runway
Gospel singer recounts how he busted his pastor sleeping with church secretary
I've played a pivotal role in modernizing Ghana's dance industry - DanceGod Lloyd
You can't create problem for me, I am problem myself - Shatta Wale reacts to GSPD statement
Padmore Abekah releases Mother’s Day anthem ‘Sweet Sweet Mother’(Ena Pa)
