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Home · 2014 ESSENCE Festival

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince

How well do you know The Purple One? From his kid sister, who's also a singer, to his favorite meal during the Purple Rain era, we've compiled 12 facts about the legend's life.
By Yolanda Sangweni · Updated October 27, 2020
01
Fact 1: Prince Wasn’t a Party Animal

While he can definitely get a party going, the Purple One wasn’t exactly a wild and crazy guy. In a Spin article commemorating the 25th anniversary of Purple Rain, Revolution guitarist Dez Dickerson revealed: “Prince would pay for these elaborate parties and we’d show up for like 12 minutes and go back to the hotel.”

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
02
Fact 2: Prince Kept a Journal

Before making his big screen debut with Purple Rain, band members recall Prince walking around with a notebook of ideas. “He’d always come up with little scenarios on a plane or on buses,” Revolution (Prince’s backing band) keyboardist Lisa Coleman told Spin.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
03
Fact 3: Prince Came from a Family of Musicians

Both of Prince’s parents were jazz musicians. His father John Nelson, a pianist from Louisiana, led the Prince Rogers Trio. His mother, Mattie Shaw, sang in the band.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
04
Fact 4: Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ Father Was Fake

Contrary to popular belief, Prince’s father in the movie Purple Rain, was not based on his real-life father. “That stuff about my dad was part of [director-cowriter] Al Magnoli’s story,” he told Rolling Stone in a 1988 interview. “We used parts of my past and present to make the story pop more, but it was a story. My dad wouldn’t have nothing to do with guns. He never swore, still doesn’t, and never drinks.”

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
05
Fact 5: Prince Had a Sister

Prince’s younger sister Tyka Nelson is also a musician who has released two albums. Her last release, a Gospel album called Brand New Me, came out in 2008.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
06
Fact 6: Prince Had an Alter-Ego

Prince reportedly had an alter-ego named Camille. That’s her on “If I Was Your Girlfriend.”

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
07
Fact 7: Prince Used to Write Fan Mail to Joni Mitchell

The legendary folk singer once told New York Magazine how she spotted a young Prince sitting in the front row of one of her concerts in Minneapolis. “He must have been 15,” she recalled. “[He] used to write me fan mail with all of the U’s and hearts that way that he writes,” she added.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
08
Fact 8: Prince Loved Spaghetti & OJ

Prince’s staple meal during the Purple Rain era was spaghetti and orange juice. “[That] was his favorite meal,” the film’s director Albert Magnoli told Spin.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
Getty Images
09
Fact 9: Prince Didn’t Listen to His Old Music

Prince didn’t play his old albums leisurely. “I make a statement, then move on to the next,” he told Rolling Stone.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
10
Fact 10: Prince Didn’t Allow Recorded Interviews

Prince doesn’t allow journalists to record interviews with him. “Some in the past have taken my voice and sold it,” he recently told Billboard. “I can’t remember the incident that triggered it and it’s probably best that I don’t.”

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
11
Fact 11: Prince’s Purple Rain Tour Was Super Successful

The 1984-85 Purple Rain tour sold 1,700,000 tickets, reports Spin.

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
12
Fact 12: Few Musicians Stay Awake As Long As Prince Could

Prince once told Rolling Stone how he can spend up to 20 hours in the studio. “I swear to God it’s not out of boldness when I say this, but there’s not a person around who can stay awake as long as I can,” he said, adding, “Music is what keeps me awake.”

Purple Trivia: 12 Surprising Facts About Prince
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