Prince Tribute Taking Shape At Sugar Sand Festival

CLEARWATER, FL — As music lovers across the country mourn the death of pop legend Prince Rogers Nelson, sculptors at Clearwater’s Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival are memorializing the man using their medium of choice.

“The city of Clearwater and the organizers of the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival are shocked and saddened by the passing of musical icon Prince,” the city explained in an email to media. “To honor this musical genius, starting today sculptors at the Sugar Sand Festival will begin sculpting a memorial of Prince.”

Just how soon the memorial will be completed or just what shape it will ultimately take to honor the man famed for such hits as ”Little Red Corvette,” “1999,” and “Purple Rain” remains unclear. The Sugar Sand Festival runs through Sunday, April 24. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, except for Sunday when hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Prince died Thursday at his Paisley Park studios and estate in Minnesota. He was 57.

According to the Carver County Sheriff’s Department, officers received a lunchtime call to investigate a death at the singer's estate. The Associated Press confirmed the death through Prince’s publicist.

Prince’s private jet made a detour on Friday to an airport in Moline, Ill., on its way home from Atlanta. A spokesperson reportedly told TMZ at the time that Prince had the flu.

Prince was born in Minneapolis in 1958 and wrote his first song at the age of 7. He celebrated his first platinum album, “Prince,” in 1979. He won seven Grammys over the course of his career and sold more than 100 million albums.

Admission to Clearwater's sculpture exhibit is $10 for adults, $5 for students ages 6 to 17, and $7 for people 55 and older, military personnel, police officers, firefighters and teachers with proper identification. Children 5 years and younger receive free admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. Adult and senior tickets include a complimentary souvenir photo.

To find out more about the Sugar Sand Festival, read: “Sugar Sand Festival 2016: What To Know Before You Go.” To learn more about Prince’s history, read: “Rock Royal Prince Dead At 57.”

Photo of Prince by Nicolas Genin via Wikimedia Commons