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Prince dead: How mourning fans have been celebrating the singer's life

The superstar's Minnesotan home city led the many street parties that occurred across America

Jacob Stolworthy
Friday 22 April 2016 06:04 EDT
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Stars pay tribute to Prince

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The outpouring of tributes for musician Prince upon the announcement of his untimely passing at the age of 57 has paved the way for fan celebrations befitting the singer's legacy.

For Prince's hometown fans in Minneapolis, the first port of call was First Avenue, the iconic nightclub that earned the singer his break in the late Seventies.

Held by local radio station 89.3 The Current, a reported ten thousand mourners assembled for the Prince Memorial Street Party which celebrated the life of a man who pioneered the Minnesotan city's music scene.


First Avenue itself held an all-night party which remembered the many times Prince performed in the club during the release of his first five albums. In such stead did he hold First Avenue that it featured prominently in 1984 film Purple Rain; he last performed there in 2007.

Just like the Brixton locals did for David Bowie, Prince's home city celebrated his legacy in the most fitting way possible.

Meanwhile in Brooklyn, director Spike Lee held an impromptu street party outside the doors of his production company 40 Acres & A Mule. Clad in an oversized purple t-shirt, Lee's celebration lasted well into the latter hours of Thursday with police eventually forced to send the 1,000-strong crowd home.


A dance party was held outside New York's Apollo Theatre with fans who had seen the singer perform there years before assembling to dance in Prince's memory. The venue's marquee was fittingly lit in his honour also.


It started out a more subdued affair at Los Angeles' Leimert Park Plaza with a candlelit vigil held by local radio station KJLH 102.3. The touching event soon evolved into a celebration worthy of Prince's iconic status with fans singing and dancing in unison to many of his renowned songs, including a pulsating version of "Purple Rain."


The final track Prince ever performed live was "Purple Rain" at a gig in Atlanta's Fox Theatre a week ago; a mourning fan told People magazine that the concert had seen at least four encores.

Among the many musicians to speak out in the wake of the singer's death has been Frank Ocean who described his influencer as "a vanguard and a genius by every metric."

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