MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. HISTORY IS NOW! REMEMBERING PRINCE PROJECT:

Prince Rogers Nelson, more commonly known as Prince, was born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With an interest in music at a young age, Prince signed his first studio contract at age 18. He became known for his wide vocal range, innovative sound, and extravagant stage presence and dress. Over his career he became an icon in Minnesota music history working with a number of bands and musicians as a singer-songwriter and music producer. When not touring, Prince lived and worked at Paisley Park (completed 1988) until his death on April 21, 2016.

In response to Prince's death, the Minnesota Historical Society sought to document how Minnesotans and others mourned him and commemorated his life. These 77 images selected from a public call for photographs, illustrate events in Minnesota and elsewhere during the first couple weeks following his death. The views show the thousands of flowers, messages, and balloons brought to Paisley Park and Prince’s star at First Avenue; the All Night Dance Parties at First Avenue; a screening of Purple Rain at Target Field Station; bridges and buildings lit purple; a dip in Lake Minnetonka; artwork created by fans; as well as various personal tributes including tattoos and flowers sent to family and friends saddened by the news.

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The collection is organized by date then by supplied title.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. History is Now! Remembering Prince Photograph Collection. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: AV2016.91

Processing Information:

Processed by: Karen Obermeyer-Kolb, March 2017

Catalog ID number: 008785824

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:

Prince -- Appreciation.

Organizations:

First Avenue & 7th St Entry (Minneapolis, Minn.) -- Photographs.

Paisley Park Studios (Chanhassen, Minn.) -- Photographs.

Places:

Chanhassen (Minn.) -- Photographs.

Minneapolis (Minn.) -- Photographs.

Excelsior (Minn.) -- Photographs.

Amsterdam (Netherlands) -- Photographs.

Document Types:

Digital images.

Photographs.

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