VH1 to Air ‘Purple Rain’ on First Anniversary of Prince’s Death

Prince Purple Rain ©Purple Films
Prince in Purple Rain

To commemorate the first anniversary of the death of musician Prince, VH1 will offer two showings of his 1984 American rock musical, Purple Rain. The film tells the tale of “The Kid” and his struggles with his tough family life and his search for musical inspiration as the talented, but troubled, leader of the Minneapolis band, The Revolution. The film was Prince’s acting debut and highlighted his talents as an artist and performer, and featured several long concert scenes where the music was recorded live for the film’s soundtrack.

The soundtrack won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and formed the backbone of Prince’s legendary studio album of the same name.

On April 21, 2016, the 57-year-old performer was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Minneapolis-are compound Paisley Park and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Toxicology tests concluded that Prince Rogers Nelson died from an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl.

After Prince’s death, VH1 aired a Purple Rain marathon of the film for several days. It is assumed that the version that will air in 2017 is the same edited version used then.

Purple Rain > VH1 > Friday, April 21 at 12:35pm ET/PT & 10pm ET/PT