A Minneapolis park might take Prince’s name, and the state could adopt purple as its color in honor of the late pop idol.
Across the state, officials and organizations are continuing to celebrate the globally beloved Minnesota native, but long-term memorials have yet to be approved.
Minneapolis City Council members proposed several tributes, Ward 3 Council member Jacob Frey said. However, he said officials want to clear their ideas with Prince’s family before making any decisions.
“Prince is a legendary figure who is emblematic of everything great about our city,” Frey said. “I think there’s a lot of people who want to acknowledge … his legacy.”
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges has considered ways to honor Prince over the past few months, according to Communications Director David Prestwood. Though he was unable to comment on the specifics of Hodges’ ideas, he said the mayor’s team will respect the wishes of Prince’s family.
Sen. Karin Housely, R-St. Mary’s Point, proposed Monday to declare purple as Minnesota’s state color, according to her legislative assistant, Rebecca Scepaniak.
Metro Transit hasn’t yet decided how they’ll honor the pop star, spokesperson Howie Padilla said, though the Star Tribune reported one of the company’s light rail lines may become the Purple Line.
“We want to see what we can do to connect with community who’s obviously honoring Prince … but exactly what that might be, we certainly don’t have any [concrete] ideas at this point,” Padilla said.
State sporting teams have also paid tribute to Prince’s life. The Minnesota Wild stacked hockey pucks to spell out his name, and the Minnesota Twins projected Prince’s photo with the words “Goodnight sweet Prince” at Target Field and released seven white doves before the first pitch of the game. The Twins’ starting players also walked up to a Prince song of their choosing during a Monday game.
Price died in his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minn., on Thursday at the age of 57, the Associated Press reported.
His lawyer rebuked suggestions that the star had a drug addiction, though celebrity site TMZ reported Prince was hospitalized for a Percocet overdose days earlier, the AP said.
Police told the AP his death wasn’t likely a suicide, but autopsy results won’t be released for weeks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
