London (AP) – Guitars, paisley-patterned outfits and high-heeled shoes are going on display at a London exhibition devoted to the late music star Prince.
The “My Name is Prince” show features musical instruments, jewelry, handwritten song lyrics and hundreds of other artifacts from the collection of Prince, who died in April 2016 aged 57.
The singer’s sister, Tyka Nelson, called the show a “miniature Paisley Park,” in reference to the Minnesota estate where Prince lived and worked.
Curator Angie Marchese said that the items had been chosen from among 128 guitars, 8,000 pieces of clothing and 2,000 pairs of shoes at Paisley Park. She said the show was a chance for fans “to say thank you” and goodbye to the genre-defying “Purple Rain” songwriter, whose sudden death from an accidental overdose of painkillers shocked the music world.
Nelson said her brother would have wanted his belongings on display.
“He wanted a museum and for it to be out there,” she said. “People say ‘is it too soon?’ and I’m like, ‘No, it’s not soon enough.’
“He kept all of this stuff all of these years, every itty bitty piece of this stuff for them, for us — for you guys to come out and see it.”
The show opened last week at London’s O2 Arena, where the musician performed for 21 nights in 2007. It runs until Jan. 7.
