When Prince died on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57, the victim of an accidental fentanyl overdose, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and …
When Prince died on April 21, 2016 at the age of 57, the victim of an accidental fentanyl overdose, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer was already living as a legend, and had been doing so for most of the past three decades, so his untimely passing cast a pall over his established bona fides as an icon, star, and ever-restless creative entity. On this fifth anniversary of Prince’s death, we’re taking a look at the Purple One’s onscreen appearances, from that timeless classic Purple Rain, to a few perhaps less-than-classic moments that nevertheless represented the work of an artist who was never, ever satisfied. DIRECTOR: Albert Magnoli CAST: Prince, Morris Day RATING: R A landmark moment for Prince’s career, a landmark music film, a landmark Minneapolis film — alright, a landmark to the entire decade of the 1980s — Purple Rain marks the key moment when Prince became The Purple One, when his inherent charisma, sensuality, creativity, elite musical acumen and sheer force of creative will delivered a fully-formed rock star directly to the public’s consciousness. Anchored by those iconic tracks from the 13x Platinum-selling soundtrack — “Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U,” “Take Me With You,” and the epic, stirring title track, which is like a rock opera in and of itself — Purple Rain ended up clearing over $70 million on its meager $7 million dollar budget, and also snagged an Oscar for Best Original Song Score. At its core, Purple Rain concerns The Kid (Prince), a talented singer and songwriter who’s on the run from an abusive homelife.
