Variety

Prince: 5 years after his death, how the Purple One lives on

His overstuffed vault continues to yield treasures. His superfans keep his legacy alive. And critic Jon Bream reflects on how his own opinion has changed over the years.

By Jon Bream

April 12, 2021 at 5:44PM

Selection from a Dan Lacey painting of the memento-covered fence outside Prince’s Paisley Park. (Dan Lacey/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

about the writer

Jon Bream

Critic / Reporter

Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers’ suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class.