Paisley Park has announced fans will be allowed to visit and pay tribute to Prince on the fifth anniversary of his death.
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According to the official website, the recording and entertainment complex where Prince also resided will be open for free visitation on Wednesday, April 21 from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. with advance reservations. Visits will be timed, and masks are required, along with other COVID-19 protocols in place.
Variety reported an online memorial will be available for fans who are unable to attend in person.
“Guests are also welcome to leave flowers, mementos, and other memorial items in front of the Love Symbol statue outside the Paisley Park main entrance,” according to the entertainment news outlet.
“Prince’s passing remains incomprehensible to all of us,” said Alan Seiffert, executive director of Paisley Park, per Variety. “We celebrate his life and legacy every day at Paisley Park, a place that Prince wanted to share with the world. So, on this day especially, we acknowledge the incredible force and inspiration Prince is in people’s lives and open up our doors for them to pay their respects.”
Paisley Park is an active museum and state-of-the-art recording studio. Prince recorded at the venue for nearly three decades and resided there in his last years.
According to the website, “when Prince wrote the song “Paisley Park,” he envisioned a place of love and peace, where there aren’t any rules or limitations for creativity. The lyrics became a reality when Paisley Park opened its doors in 1987. Since then, it has inspired respect, ideas, connection, community, and spirituality and furthered Prince’s legacy of creative freedom.”
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Fans can also look forward to a movie and a documentary covering the musical icon’s life. As theGrio reported, Sheila E. announced that she is working on a film about how she and Prince met, made music, and were once engaged to be married.
Sheila had an established career as a drummer/percussionist before meeting Prince and joining his bands from 1984-1989, officially playing with him from Purple Rain through to Lovesexy.
During her time making music with Prince, she guest-starred on “Love Bizarre” and the then-controversial “Erotic City,” also recording two albums, The Glamorous Life and Romance 1600. The “The Glamourous Life” single released in 1984 became her signature hit, featuring a lengthy drum solo that highlighted her musicianship.
Sheila was a guest on several Prince tours and on multiple TV show appearances, including the 2005 NAACP Image Awards and the BRIT Awards in 2006. The two also performed together on the Latin Grammys and at the ALMA Awards. When Prince passed in 2016, she was a central part of the BET Awards tribute and last year, was the musical director for Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince, a star-studded special that aired on the fourth anniversary of his death.
But not all of Sheila’s tributes to Prince have gone as smoothly. The release of her song “Lemon Cake” last year was met by some derision from former Prince associates including Purple Rain star Apollonia, who accused Sheila of using Prince’s memory and legacy for her own gain.
Netflix has greenlit a multi-part documentary as well. First scheduled to be helmed by director Ava DuVernay, it is now in production with Oscar winner Ezra Edelman as the director. Edelman, the son of Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, won an Oscar for OJ: Made In America, the five-part ESPN Films documentary about O.J. Simpson.
This article contains additional reporting from theGrio’s Tonya Pendleton.
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