He has begun the second coming of his Purple Reign with his hit CD 3121, but Prince will have to do it without his Princess. Prince’s second wife, Manuela Testolini Nelson, has filed for divorce. The couple has been married for five years and has no children. Prince’s lawyer has stated that this divorce was something Manuela wanted, not Prince. The petition was filed in Hennepin County District Court (in Minnesota, Prince’s home state) on May 24th. There is some speculation among fans that Prince and Manuela were even married to begin with, but I supposed the divorce petition is proof they were.
This is Prince’s second marriage. His first was to dancer Mayte Garcia on Valentine’s Day in 1996. That marriage ended in annulment in 1998 after two years. They had one child, who died shortly after birth.
Prince began his music career at the young age of 19, when he signed with Warner Brothers. His first album, released in 1978 was a minor hit. But it was his 1992 hit “1999” that brought him to the forefront. 1984’s “Purple Rain” spawned two #1 singles and spent 24 weeks at number one. The movie Purple Rain was also a big hit at the box office. In the mid-90s, Prince had a dispute with his recording label, Warner Brothers, and changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol. His name (or rather his symbol) was in the news quite a bit, but unfortunately, his music wasn’t. It wasn’t until this year’s 3121 that Prince returned to his funky musical roots.
Prince Trivia:
Prince wrote several hit songs that he didn’t sing, namely “Manic Monday” for the Bangles, “Sugar Walls” for Sheen Easton, and “Nothing Compares 2 U” for Sinead O’Connor.
Prince’s real name is Prince Rogers Nelson.
Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.