100 Facts About Prince You Didn’t Know In Honour of His Birthday

From revolutionizing funk and pop to pioneering the Minneapolis sound and building a secret vault filled with unreleased music, Prince did it all — often while wearing heels.

To celebrate the legend on what would have been his birthday, here are 100 fun, strange, and little-known facts about the Purple One himself. From his childhood quirks to his posthumous surprises, let’s take a glitter-drenched dive into the mystery, music, and magic of Prince.

1. His first word as a baby was reportedly “money.”
2. Prince hated onions and avoided them religiously.
3. His favorite color wasn’t always purple — it was orange early in life.
4. He wrote his first song, “Funk Machine,” on his dad’s piano at age 7.
5. His dad was a jazz musician who performed under the name Prince Rogers.
6. Prince was nicknamed “Skipper” as a child.
7. He played over 27 instruments on his debut album.
8. He loved ping pong and challenged friends and bandmates regularly.
9. Prince stood at 5’2”, but his presence was massive.
10. He often wore four-inch heels on and off stage.
11. He used the word “slave” on his face in protest of his Warner Bros. contract.
12. The “Love Symbol” was created by combining male and female symbols.
13. He would record for days without sleeping.
14. Prince once gave a tape of music to a friend in a pancake box.
15. He appeared on a 1970s teachers’ strike news clip as a child.
16. He was epileptic as a child but claimed an angel healed him.
17. He had a vault filled with thousands of unreleased songs.
18. He designed Paisley Park as a utopia for music and creativity.
19. He was notoriously private and often dropped music with no warning.
20. He wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U” for a side project — the Family.
21. His favorite meal was spaghetti and orange juice.
22. He didn’t allow meat at Paisley Park.
23. He once told Kevin Smith he didn’t like documentaries, then asked him to make one.
24. He used numerous aliases including Camille, Jamie Starr, and Alexander Nevermind.
25. Prince wrote “Manic Monday” for The Bangles.
26. He gave “Kiss” to another band before deciding to keep it.
27. He loved basketball and played in high school.
28. Dave Chappelle’s Prince skit? He loved it.
29. He released an entire triple album called ‘Emancipation.’
30. He reportedly recorded “When Doves Cry” in one night.
31. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
32. His halftime performance at Super Bowl XLI is ranked the best ever.
33. He once sued YouTube and fansites for unauthorized use of his image.
34. He didn’t own a cell phone.
35. He preferred communicating via fax in the 2000s.
36. He often rode his bike around Chanhassen in disguise.
37. He turned down many collaborations, including with Michael Jackson.
38. He had an entire unreleased album recorded as “Camille.”
39. He created The Time and wrote all their early hits.
40. He could compose, arrange, and record a song in under an hour.
41. He once gifted an album to a waitress who brought him good pancakes.
42. He was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and went door-to-door.
43. He turned down a role in the film Dreamgirls.
44. He never drank alcohol or smoked.
45. His band The Revolution had multiple female members — a rarity at the time.
46. He loved animals and once stopped a concert because a bird was in the venue.
47. He fired people who swore in his presence.
48. He founded his own label, NPG Records.
49. He released music under the name “The Artist.”
50. He had an extensive archive of concert footage.
51. He played a surprise set in a living room for a private party.
52. He was a huge fan of Sly & The Family Stone.
53. He bought a house in Toronto when he was married to Manuela Testolini.
54. He designed outfits himself and sketched ideas on napkins.
55. He performed at Coachella in 2008 and stole the show.
56. He had a purple motorcycle custom-made.
57. He often performed secret aftershows into the early morning.
58. His guitar solo at the Rock Hall tribute to George Harrison is legendary.
59. He supported up-and-coming artists with money and mentorship.
60. He covered Radiohead’s “Creep” — then had it removed from YouTube.
61. He donated anonymously to libraries, schools, and shelters.
62. He mentored Alicia Keys early in her career.
63. He helped save the Joffrey Ballet with a financial contribution.
64. He spoke out about police violence in his final years.
65. He used a custom-made purple Love Symbol guitar.
66. He recorded music in the dark to focus on sound.
67. He often finished albums months or years before they were released.
68. He played over 100 instruments during his lifetime.
69. He wrote “I Feel for You” for Chaka Khan.
70. He banned swearing on his later albums.
71. He had a third-eye image as his Twitter avatar.
72. He produced a side project called Madhouse, a jazz-funk band.
73. He once gave all concertgoers a free copy of his album.
74. He held pajama dance parties at Paisley Park.
75. He had a secret online alias for browsing fan forums.
76. He designed his Super Bowl halftime set to resemble his Love Symbol.
77. He painted a vault door gold and stored rare music inside.
78. He supported Black Lives Matter with benefit concerts.
79. He taught himself animation for music video work.
80. He banned cell phones at concerts before it was cool.
81. He would sometimes test new songs at small jazz clubs.
82. He refused to lip-sync ever. Well. Maybe just once. He did it at the World Music Awards in Monte-Carlo in 1994.
83. He gave millions to the YesWeCode initiative.
84. He was once offered a role in The Matrix — and turned it down.
85. He called Stevie Wonder his biggest influence.
86. He performed “Red House” as “Purple House” in a Hendrix tribute.
87. He once opened a nightclub in Las Vegas called 3121.
88. He had a cookbook project in development.
89. He collected rare instruments from around the world.
90. He wore custom gloves with grip for better guitar solos.
91. He had a personal chef trained in vegetarian cuisine.
92. He once shut down an entire HMV store with a surprise appearance.
93. He wrote “With This Tear” for Celine Dion.
94. He threw spontaneous concerts in his backyard.
95. He once rejected an entire finished album because he felt it “wasn’t joyful enough.”
96. He required silence in the studio while he recorded vocals.
97. He inspired the Pantone color “Love Symbol #2.”
98. He once planned a superhero-themed concept album.
99. He danced until sunrise even in his 50s.
100. His final concert ended with the words: “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”