We Took a Tour of Prince’s Home Before It Shut Down

When Prince was still alive, an invitation to Paisley Park was the stuff of dreams for a Prince fan.

Until recently, anyone with $50 could visit. You’d just have to drop off any camera equipment, including your phone, in the lobby – and be satisfied with committing the experience to memory.

Tuesday marks four years since Prince’s untimely passing. And while a steady stream of unearthed material and re-releases keep his memory alive, there are plenty of superfans who would love to mark the occasion in person.

But COVID-19 is preventing them from making a trip to Chanhassen to pay their respects to their idol.

Before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down, VICE News took a very exclusive look inside Prince’s enigmatic fortress with Dan Piepenbring, Prince’s unlikely co-author on the experimental biography, “The Beautiful Ones.”

Cover: Close-up of Prince Rogers Nelson from “Dirty Mind” photo shoot. (Photo: Allen Beaulieu)