Apollonia, Anthony Anderson, Chaka Khan gather to benefit foundation launched by Prince’s ex-wife
Stars will gather Sunday in Los Angeles to a gala to benefit a foundation launched by the second wife of the late Prince, the Associated Press is reporting.
Actor Anthony Anderson of TV’s black-ish will host the gala that will include Chaka Khan, Prince mentee Apollonia Kotero, Philip Bailey and Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire and Tina Knowles, Beyonce‘s mother, the news organization reports.
The gala will benefit In a Perfect World, a foundation that supports educators and young people in underserved communities. The organization was launched by Manuela Testolini, who was married to Prince from 2001 to 2007. After Prince’s death in 2016, various reports revealed that he’d been quietly giving away his money to benefit others. Testolini told the Star-Tribune that they met working with one of his foundations and that before he died, he encouraged her to continue philanthropic work.
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The performances at Sunday’s star-studded gathering will be heavy on works by Prince, she said.
“Prince was such a big part of the beginnings of In a Perfect World,” she told the news organization. “He was our first and most ardent supporter. We thought it was a good time to take a step back and really recognize him.”
Most recently, In a Perfect World opened a school in a village in Malawi.
Divorce papers involving the couple were unsealed during disputes after his death into who would inherit his estate.
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The papers revealed that when Testolini and Prince were married, they shared a lavish lifestyle that included huge parties after major awards shows like the Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes, and $5,000-a-pop visits to hair and makeup stylists, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.
The couple met when Testolini was a consultant for his charity, Love 4 One Another, according to the news organization.
Prince was found dead April 21, 1916, his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minn., due to an overdose of the powerful painkiller fentanyl.
