11 Incredible Facts About Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 7, 1958, was not only a musical innovator but also explored filmmaking, most notably with his 1984 film, Purple Rain. While many are familiar with his legendary name change, here are 10 lesser-known facts about the artist once known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

1. Prince's true name was indeed Prince.

Prince Rogers Nelson, born to two musical parents, was named after his father's jazz band.

2. He was a devoted Jehovah's Witness.

Prince, baptized in 2001, was a dedicated Jehovah's Witness who even went door-to-door. In October 2003, a woman in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, answered her door to find the famously introverted artist and his bassist, Larry Graham, a former member of Sly and the Family Stone, standing there. "My first thought was, 'Cool, cool, cool. He wants to use my house for a set. I’m glad! Demolish the whole thing! Start over!'" the woman told The Star Tribune. "Then they started talking about Jehovah’s Witnesses. I said, 'You know what? You’ve walked into a Jewish household, and I’m not interested.' He said, 'Can I just finish?' Then Larry Graham pulled out his Bible and began quoting scriptures about Judaism and the land of Israel."

3. Prince composed numerous hit songs for other artists.

In addition to writing hundreds of songs for himself, Prince also created hits for other artists, such as "Manic Monday" for the Bangles, "I Feel For You" for Chaka Khan, and "Nothing Compares 2 U" for Sinéad O'Connor.

4. Prince's symbol actually had its own name.

Although the world referred to him as either "The Artist" or "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince," the unusual symbol Prince used was actually called "Love Symbol #2." It was copyrighted in 1997, but when his contract with Warner Bros. expired on December 31, 1999, he announced he was reclaiming his birth name.

5. In 2017, Pantone honored the artist with his own specific shade of purple.

A little more than a year after Prince's passing, the global color authority Pantone, in collaboration with the late artist's estate, created a special shade of purple in his honor. Fittingly, it was named Love Symbol #2. The hue was inspired by a Yamaha piano Prince had planned to take on tour. “The color purple was synonymous with who Prince was and will always be,” said Troy Carter, an advisor to Prince's estate. “This is an incredible way for his legacy to live on forever.”

6. Prince was taken to court by his sister.

In 1987, Prince's half-sister, Lorna Nelson, filed a lawsuit against him, claiming she had written the lyrics to "U Got the Look," a track from his album "Sign '☮' the Times" featuring Sheena Easton. However, in 1989, the court ruled in Prince's favor.

7. He angered a vice president's wife.

In 1984, Tipper Gore (then-wife of Al Gore) bought the Purple Rain soundtrack for her 11-year-old daughter, and was appalled by what she heard. Tipper was particularly outraged by the explicit lyrics of "Darling Nikki," which references masturbation and other graphic sexual acts. She believed that albums like this should have a warning label, and in 1985, she founded the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which pressured the music industry to adopt a rating system similar to the one used in Hollywood. To Prince’s credit, he didn’t oppose the labeling system and even became one of the first artists to release a "clean" version of explicit albums.

8. He took a promotional cue from Willy Wonka.

In 2006, Universal secretly placed 14 purple tickets—seven in the U.S. and seven internationally—inside Prince's album, 3121. Fans who found a purple ticket were invited to attend an exclusive performance at Prince's Los Angeles home.

9. During one remarkable week in 1984, Prince held the top spots in all three major categories: film, single, and album.

During the week of July 27, 1984, Prince's film Purple Rain dominated the box office. That same week, the movie's soundtrack was the top-selling album, and the song "When Doves Cry," featured on the soundtrack, held the number-one spot on the singles chart.

10. He made a historic appearance on SNL—though not necessarily for the right reasons.

During his first appearance on Saturday Night Live, Prince performed the song "Partyup" and sang the line, "Fightin' war is a such a f***ing bore." It went unnoticed at the time, but in the closing segment, Charles Rocket clearly said, "I'd like to know who the f*** did it." This marked the only episode of SNL where the f-bomb was dropped twice.

11. He canceled an album release after experiencing "a spiritual epiphany."

In 1987, Prince was set to release "The Black Album," but just days before its scheduled release, he abruptly canceled it. The musician claimed his decision came after "a spiritual epiphany." Some reports suggest it was due to an early experience with the drug ecstasy, while others argue that The Artist simply knew the album would not succeed.