Prince, the legendary recording artist, creative innovator and champion of individuality died on Wednesday at his Paisley Park home in Minneapolis, aged 57.
And whilst his fashion choices and hypnotic performances mark him out as one of the most charismatic musicians ever to have lived, he remained tantalisingly enigmatic.
So here, in celebration of the Purple One, are 11 facts that you probably didn’t know about Prince…
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He played the electric guitar on Madonna’s ‘Like a Prayer’
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His sprawling house, Paisley Park is filled with purple (his signature colour) furnishings and houses a ‘galaxy room’, which is lit by ultraviolet light and set up for meditation.
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He also had a permanent 10-strong team of tailors at Paisley Park, who were on hand to make bespoke clothes for Prince, his band and his girlfriends.
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During the ‘Purple Rain’ era, his favourite meal was spaghetti and orange juice.
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Prince penned his first song, ‘Funk Machine’ aged seven whilst playing on his father’s piano.
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Prince once canceled a Japanese tour so he could record an album in order to impress his crush, actress Kim Basinger.
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New Girl could have been very different without Prince, as it was he who emailed Zooey Deschanel and asked her to star on the hit show (he was a big fan).
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Prince hated his voice being recorded and frowned on journalists taking notes, which would make for a pretty difficult interview.
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Larger than life stage presence aside, Prince stood at 5’2″.
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Prince wrote Sinead O’Connor’s best selling song, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in 1985. He also wrote The Bangles' 80s classic ‘Manic Monday’ and ‘How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore’ by Alicia Keys.
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He could play at least 27 instruments - and on his first album, For You, Prince is said to have played every single instrument.
READ MORE: Prince: Remembering His Most Iconic Fashion Moments