Spike Lee throws dance party ahead of Prince's 58th birthday

ByNEKESA MUMBI MOODY AP logo
Saturday, June 4, 2016
A poster bearing the likeness of the entertainer is attached to a railing at the "Prince Born Day Purple People Party" in New York, Saturday, June 4, 2016.
AP-AP

NEW YORK -- The dress code was purple, getting down was a requirement and plenty of people obliged as Prince was celebrated at a Spike Lee party ahead of what would have been the late legend's 58th birthday.

Lee, who was a friend of Prince, threw the Saturday party in Brooklyn. The day party featured giveaways of purple hats and posters, and there were performances planned throughout the day. At its start, a couple hundred people braved the hot sun to listen to Prince hits like "Alphabet Street and "Erotic City," and the event was due to last for six hours.

This is not the first celebration Lee has thrown for Prince: When he died on April 21, hundreds of people showed up for an impromptu dance party on a Brooklyn block.

Lee has also held a similar celebration in honor of Michael Jackson in the years since his 2009 death.

An autopsy revealed this week that Prince died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a powerful opioid painkiller that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin.