Henderson, Minn., is the new home of a life-size bronze statue of the one and only Prince, a fitting memorial considering the tiny town was made famous after appearing in the late musician’s film Purple Rain.
Prince fans may recognize Henderson from one of the scenes in Purple Rain where Apollonia Kotero (who portrayed Prince’s love interest) believes she’s “purifying” herself “in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.” It’s only after she jumps in that Prince’s character “The Kid” tells her it’s not Lake Minnetonka. CNN writes that Henderson is 45 minutes away from Prince’s longtime home, Minneapolis’ Paisley Park.
According to CNN, the statue cost around $40,000, and much of the money was raised by fans of The Purple One. Per Joel King of the Prince Legacy Henderson Project, many fans’ names were included on a donor plaque for the statue for a fee of $100. The statue is featured in a garden in Henderson, which also comes with purple flowers, a dedicated granite bench, a guestbook, and a mural of the artist looking down from a nearby building.
“It’s kind of cool to have the statue now, especially when they’re tearing down all the statues in America, and then to have a Black man on a statue is pretty cool,” King told the publication of the importance of the statue and tribute site. “I think it’s kind of the right time, and Prince deserves it.”
A retired camera operator and cinematographer, King reportedly worked on past Prince video projects and the film Graffiti Bridge. Tour operator Randy “Capt. Randy” Luedtke of The Tour MSP is aiming to add Henderson to his list of Prince-centered stops in Minnesota, especially with the latest addition of the statue. CNN reports that Luedtke has had to slow down the frequency of his tours due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that he’s looking forward to starting up again.