Prince Day: State of Minnesota Celebrates the Life of a Hometown Legend

But Throughout the Twin Cities, the weekend-long celebration is proving to be not exclusive to Minnesotans

MINNESOTA — Governor Dayton officially made April 21st Prince Day, a year after the well renowned music legend passed away from a fentanyl overdose.

Throughout the Twin Cities, the weekend-long celebration is proving to be not exclusive to Minnesotans.

“Are we ready to celebrate?”

The celebration of this thing called life…one year after losing a man widely hailed as a hometown music legend.

In the Twin Cities, Prince would start and end his career as a singer-songwriter, music producer and a dancer known for his flamboyant stage presence.

Although he attained international acclaim as a celebrity for decades, he stayed in the Twin Cities, refusing to move out to the West Coast.

Prince Day started with a familiar Minneapolis bridge glowing purple.

Many other buildings continued to light the early morning sky.

Target Field turned purple after the Minnesota Twins announced a Prince Night celebration, slated for June 16th.

“Prince meant a lot to me, in my life taught me a lot, I’m getting emotional to be honest,” said one fan. “When he passed away, it was quite a big deal for me.”

“It was so intimate,” another said. “It felt like you were part of a family.”

On the well known 1st Ave concert venue, several people took their pictures with Prince’s golden star.

And they’re not just locals.

People from states away are flocking to Minneapolis/St. Paul to spend the weekend remembering one of their favorite musicians.

“I always greatly appreciated that Prince kept his home in Minnesota,” said Governor Mark Dayton. “He was a Minnesotan, he is a Minnesotan and that’s hugely important to the music economy of Minnesota and to a lot of beginning artists who saw that possibility and he supported a lot of them from what I’ve been told. I think his contribution was immense. His loss is tragic.”

Gov. Dayton also said Prince and his talents not only inspired a generation of music artists, but he showcased Minnesota to the world.