Nearly a month after His Purpleness' death, Prince was memorialized by his closest friends in Hollywood at a secretive gathering on Wednesday night.
The event was held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills and was organized by Prince's ex-wives Manuela Testolini and Mayte Garcia, reports E! News. The "Purple Rain" singer was married to Garcia from 1996 to 1999. They had one child, a son named Boy Gregory, who was born with Pfeiffer syndrome and died a week later in October 1996. Prince married Testolini in 2001 and they remained together until she filed for divorce in 2006.
Guests included film director Spike Lee, Chic musician Nile Rodgers and Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization that hands out the Oscars. Performances came from Janelle Monae, a mentee of the iconic musician, and Esperanza Spalding, according to Billboard.
Lee posted a picture of a purple beret and purple Nike sneakers on his Instagram account on Wednesday. He captioned the picture: "Purple Beret And Purple Kobe's For Prince Memorial Tonight In El LAY." [sic]
Last week, Prince's family issued a statement saying they had not yet held an official memorial service for the late star who died on April 21. An intimate service was held for family and friends after his death on April 23.
The statement said: "We would like everyone to know that, contrary to previous and current reports, there has been no memorial, funeral or tribute service for Prince that was organized or authorized by the family or Paisley Park representatives. Together, the family is planning an official memorial service and public event to take place in the near future."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
