feature: brother-in-law confirms prince’s paisley park to become graceland-style memorial

Almost a week after the music legend’s sudden death, there’s already been plenty of speculation as to what will happened to his estate, Paisley Park. The (approximately) 65,000 square-foot complex housed the artist’s recording studio, event spaces for the epic parties he threw, the treasure trove of a zillion unreleased songs, rehearsal space, and a ton of cool, mysterious shit we’ll probably never know about. Unless what friend and Prince’s former fiancee, Sheila E., hinted at plans for the compound going forward are true. “[He] was working on it being a museum. He’s been gathering memorabilia and stuff from all the tours, like my drums and his motorcycle,” she told Entertainment Tonight.

Brother-in-law Maurice Phillips (who is married to Prince’s sister Tika) confirmed that the compound will indeed become a Graceland-like museum and memorial. “It would be for the fans. He was all about the fans — this would remember his music, which is his legacy,” Phillips said. “Prince was always private but would have wanted his music remembered.”

By Erin White*, AFROPUNK contributor

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.