Fans Of The Purple One Mark 1 Year Since Death, Honor Legacy
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (WCCO) -- It's been one year since Minnesota native Prince died.
The music icon was found unresponsive at Paisley Park.
Since 1985, Paisley Park has been the epicenter of all things purple.
The sprawling estate in Chanhassen was where Prince made his home for three decades and where he recorded music.
In the days following Prince's death, thousands made the pilgrimage there to honor his life and his work, leaving behind flowers, balloons and signs expressing their love.
It was here that Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator, one year ago.
While sadness over his passing still remains, today, fans are here celebrating his lasting legacy.
"This man, he's a legend that will live on past our kids' kids. He's somebody we'll just never forget. Just unbelievable," one fan said.
With an unmatched style and a sound all his own, Prince's music touched those in every corner of the globe, who made a pilgrimage to Paisley Park to pay their respects one year after his death.
His work inspired countless other musicians, including many here in his home state.
"He definitely was in my formative years as a musician, so I started playing a little bit more raucously and a little bit more edgy," Merriah Eakins said. "Even when I was playing a Mozart concerto with the St. Paul Chamber, I was playing it with kind of a little bit of a Prince edge."
Major questions still remain regarding the circumstances over his death. But for fans, that's not what's important today.
"Just so unfortunate. A lot of people are talking about how he died and what he might have been doing and what doctors might have been prescribing and whatever. He's just gone," Eakins said.
The meaning of April 21 is forever changed in their minds, who now look to his music for comfort.
Today, Celebration 2017 continues with live music, panel discussions and presentations that examine the life and the legacy of Prince.
Tickets are hard to come by, but of course, visitors can get an inside look at Paisley Park if they can't make it out this weekend.
It was transformed into a museum shortly after Prince's death.
