Princely Pride: Stretch of Hwy. 5 officially named for Minnesotan Prince

The late superstar Prince's purple life will be commemorated with four highway signs in his signature color in a bill signed in purple ink by Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday at Paisley Park in Chanhassen.

There's no date yet for planting the signs on a 7-mile stretch of Hwy. 5 that passes by Prince's former home where he died seven years ago of an accidental fentanyl overdose. Purple reigned among fans, friends and politicians who gathered for the coolest bill-signing of Walz's tenure.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a devoted Prince fan, said the late artist had a big heart and preached acceptance in his lyrics and life. "Every single person I know has been touched by Prince and his legacy," she said. "He's part of who we are as Minnesotans."

The four purple signs with white lettering will be placed on the highway in the coming weeks. The cost, $6,500, will be covered by Prince's friends and supporters, according to Jennifer Witt, legislative coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

Witt, wearing a black T-shirt with a purple Prince glyph, said she still has a purple rose that the artist tossed from the stage during one of his "Purple Rain" concerts at the St. Paul Civic Center in December 1984. But she said persuading MnDOT to allow and create purple signs instead of the standard brown with white used for commemorative roadways was "a lot of work."

Rep. Lucy Rehm, DFL-Chanhassen, and Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, shepherded the bills through the Capitol and spoke at the signing. Rehm described Prince as a bright burst of purple in a "world so cold." Coleman described him as a land conservationist and "Chanhassen's favorite neighbor."

Bob Finn, who saw an early Prince show in 1981, is one of the neighbors from down the street. He was riding his bike by Paisley Park one day when he struck up a conversation with Prince friend Mark Webster, who said, "I've got this idea." Together the two got to work on getting the signs passed into law.

"It's been a long road, but here we are," said Finn, who wore a purple flower in the lapel of his black jacket.

Before the bill-signing, fans, friends and relatives walked through Paisley Park. In the public performance space, video of Prince played on a giant screen, blasting portions of hits like "Kiss," "Raspberry Beret" and "Purple Rain" from performances through the years, including his 2007 Super Bowl halftime show and his "Piano & a Microphone" concerts near the end of his life. Some visitors moved their hips and bobbed their heads while others were more somber.

Walz said he wasn't living in Minnesota when Prince rose to prominence in the 1980s but he always thought it was cool that the artist lived here. Prince was "truly Minnesotan" and the highway designation is a "gift to Minnesotans" who still love him because "he was always just who he was," Walz said.

"Like many Minnesotans, I'm just proud of Prince," Walz said.

Flanagan and Walz wore Minnesota-shaped lapel pins with a famous quote from Prince about why he lived in Minnesota: "So cold it keeps the bad people out."

The lieutenant governor also wore Prince earrings made by a friend. Flanagan was emotional in what she said was her first visit to Paisley Park since Prince died.

Her favorite song is "Controversy" followed by "The Cross" but she quoted the lyrics from his song "Uptown" —"White, Black, Puerto Rican, everybody just a-freakin" — and said she believes Prince saved lives. "His message was about accepting who you are and that you can be weird and eccentric and be an icon," she said.

Prince's sister Sharon Nelson said her brother had spoken to her in a dream overnight about wanting music released from his vault to be professionally remastered and perfect. "He's still here," she said.