Minnesota celebrates Prince Day with purple
June 7, 2016
"Minnesotans are encouraged to wear purple on Prince Day in honor of The Purple One's enduring legacy," Governor Mark Dayton said in a proclamation Monday (06.06.2016).
The pop legend passed away suddenly on April 21, but would have turned 58 on "Prince Day" - June 7. He was born in Minneapolis, the largest city in the northern U.S. state of Minnesota and - despite his international fame and wealth - chose to stay in the city, building his Paisley Park studio complex in the suburb of Chanhassen.
Celebrations of Prince Day, however, extended well beyond Minnesota, with Twitter bursting with calls to don the color mentioned in one of the singer's greatest hits: "Purple Rain."
The color of solidarity isn't just for clothes, it seems:
The virtual party needs some music, of course, so streaming service Tidal is rolling out 15 additional Prince albums to commemorate his 58th birthday, according to Billboard magazine.
In addition, animals rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is offering a free download of Prince's pro-vegan song "Animal Kingdom" on Tuesday. Prince had donated the song to PETA in honor of the organization's 20th anniversary in 1999.
Recently released autopsy results revealed that Prince died in April as the result of an accidental overdose of the prescription painkiller fentanyl.
Also on Tuesday, a closed hearing is scheduled to take place in Minnesota to discuss Prince's estate. Since he left no will and had no children, his estate has temporarily been turned over to a professional administrator.
kbm/rb (AFP, AP)