Toronto mural pays tribute to Prince

When Prince died suddenly on April 21, Carl Cassell had to find a way to express his grief. Cassell, owner of the Harlem Restaurant on Richmond St. E., commissioned a mural by architect, artist and close friend Javid Jah on a wall outside the building. Jah finished the work on Wednesday in four hours, from

priming to the final stroke.

It’s not the first time Cassell has commissioned a mural of one of his heroes. Past works have honoured late pop star Michael Jackson and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.

“It’s a wall of fallen heroes. We pay tribute to the cats we grew up with. We need some way to show our grief,” an emotional Cassell said. “I was at his last concert (in Toronto). I was 50 feet away from him. Prince and the piano, how can you miss that?” Bruce DeMara