Fans of Prince pay respects on anniversary

Prince fans pay respects at Paisley Park 5 years after death

About 1,400 people gather at Paisley Park to remember the singer five years after his death.

CHANHASSEN, MINN. >> Paisley Park, where Prince lived and worked, welcomed back select fans Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of his death from inside his creative sanctuary. Some wore custom Prince clothes and shoes and left flowers and other mementos as tributes to the late superstar.

The sprawling studio’s atrium opened to 1,400 people who were able to snag free reservations, while other fans paid their respects in front of a statue erected outside the front doors in the shape of his famous purple Love Symbol.

A custom-made ceramic urn shaped like Paisley Park with Prince’s symbol on top was originally placed in the middle of the atrium when the pop legend’s 65,000-square-foot studio in suburban Minneapolis first opened as a museum in October 2016. At the request of Prince’s family, the ashes were moved to a less prominent spot in the atrium and eventually removed entirely from public view, disappointing the superstar’s legions of fans.

Wednesday was the first time the urn has returned to the atrium for display to the public.

“He reached me through his music and through his words and everything,” said Raquel Ponce of Mason City, Iowa. “My daughters, I raised them with the love of Prince.”

Prince died on April 21, 2016, of an accidental fentanyl overdose at age 57, shocking fans and setting off waves of grief around the world. Since then, Paisley Park was turned into a museum and paid tours were created.

Lifelong Prince fan Patrice Files of Detroit wears clothing from head to toe to honor Prince on the fifth anniversary of his death.