Havre de Grace to Light Up Purple for Prince

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD – In a city north of Baltimore along the Susquehanna River, there will be a street shining purple in honor of Prince, the rock icon whose death was announced Thursday.

The Havre de Grace Office of Tourism announced Thursday afternoon that it would be illuminating one of its downtown thoroughfares purple as a tribute to the musician, whose hit "Purple Rain"—released in 1984—crystallized his status as one of the greatest artists of his generation. He earned two Grammys and an Oscar for that work.

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Born in Minneapolis in 1958 as Prince Rogers Nelson, the musician known simply as "Prince" died Thursday at his Paisley Park studios and estate in Minnesota. He was 57.

His self-titled album went platinum in 1979, and by the end of his decades-long career, he had won seven Grammys, sold more than 100 million albums and, in 2004, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The musician recently made an appearance in Maryland. After riots broke out in Baltimore last spring, Prince visited Charm City for an event billed as a Rally 4 Peace. He penned a song called "Baltimore," which he performed at the free concert in tribute to the city's people.

After a health scare last week, there were erroneous rumors that the artist had died.

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.

But after initial reports that "a middle-aged man" had died at the Paisley Park studios, the Associated Press confirmed with a publicist Thursday that Prince had passed.

According to the Carver County Sheriff’s Department, officers received a lunchtime call to investigate a death at the singer's estate. A cause of death was not immediately available.

In response to the news, Havre de Grace is not the only city making a public demonstration of mourning. In Clearwater, Fla., city officials said Thursday that they would be erecting a sand sculpture in Prince's memory during a sand sculpture festival planned for this weekend.

Patch Editor Cody Fenwick contributed.

Photo Credit: Morguefile.