Extravagant superstar Prince, who has died at the age of 57, was not only known for his genre-hopping pop genius, but also for his enigmatic behaviour.
His legacy includes an inspired musical catalogue and a series of strange anecdotes about his personal life. Here are just five:
He turned his rented house purple
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In 2006, Prince was sued by his then landlord, NBA star Carlos Boozer, for alleged unauthorised alterations to his $70,000-a-month (£48,000) rented house. The lawsuit, reported on Smoking Gun, stated the singer had violated his eight-month lease by painting the exterior of the house with purple stripes, a "Prince" symbol and the numbers 3121 - the title of the album he was working on at the time. It also alleged he had added a purple monogrammed carpet and a beauty salon. Lawyers argued that Boozer had collected the rent without complaint and the lawsuit was dismissed.
Did he suffer for fashion?
Rumours have circulated for years that Prince's love for high heels damaged his body to such an extent that he needed hip replacements. However, in 2009, entertainment columnist Roger Friedman claimed the singer had refused to have an operation because, as a Jehovah Witness, he was not allowed blood transfusions. Daily Mirror journalist Peter Willis, who interviewed Prince in 2010, said his "agility" on the dancefloor suggested the rumours were "unfounded".
His estate was decked out with a nightclub and diner
In the same interview, Willis described Prince's estate, Paisley Park, in Minnesota, calling it a huge white 70,000sq ft building, resembling an industrial complex, on a busy main road. "It looked like the last place you would expect to find Prince's studios, a concert hall and even his own private nightclub," he said. The nightclub had no bar, as vegan Prince was tee-total, but it did have a Bible. The complex was also kitted out with a 1950s-style American diner and Prince's bike from the Purple Rain video.
Prince once loved the internet
Despite a series of court cases in which he tried to force YouTube to remove clips containing his music and sued bloggers for showing footage of his concerts, Prince was one of the earliest adopters of the net, says Fortune magazine. In 2001, he created a subscription-based online service called NPGMusicClub and released exclusive tracks and special-access concert tickets to members, much like his fellow pop-music pioneer, David Bowie, in 1998. But Prince grew to hate the web, saying in 2010 that "the internet's completely over". He later clarified by saying it was over for artists, as it stole their earnings and gave too much power to record labels.
He asked his assistants for a camel
Director Kevin Smith tells a lengthy but hilarious story about meeting Prince after asking if he could use his song, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, in one of his films. The singer declined and instead, asked for help to make a "bold" documentary about his new album that would "change the world". The film never happened, but the two men spent a week together, during which Smith says the musician spoke in cryptic riddles and told him he shouldn't have cursing in his films. The director also learnt from Prince's assistants that the star had once asked them to get him a camel in the middle of the night and bought his sports clothes from the boys' department because he was only 5ft 2in. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"93954","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Magnificent Tudor castles and stately homes to visit this year
I'm a Celebrity 2024: 'utterly bereft of new ideas'?
The clown car cabinet
