Prince meet Prince...Priceless.
by Cindi Sutter, Founder of Spirited Table® - I'm proud to introduce my longtime friend and co-worker during International Special Olympics and author of this untold story, Sara Campbell Richter. On this one year anniversary of the death of Prince, Sara remembers...
"My Mom called me this morning to talk about the death of Prince. She asked me to tell her the story of when I met Prince. She also asked me to write it down. So I did and here it is. I hope you enjoy the memory as much as I did while writing it."
Circa July 1991. The International Summer Special Olympics Games are in Minneapolis, MN. About 6,000 Special Olympian athletes and their coaches participated from around the world. We spent over a year planning for this event and had thousands of volunteers in place to pull it off. I'm responsible for hundreds of VIP's including sport stars, musicians, celebrities and royalty. The volunteers that I've recruited for "my" area are all friends, and friends of friends. We are in our 20's. We are all about having fun. And believe me, this is fun!
The Opening Ceremonies take place on Friday night, July 19th. Prince is on stage singing Diamonds and Pearls. The athletes are going crazy. The rest of us stare in amazement as this tiny guy performs in a crazy jump suit with lightening bolts. His music is mesmerizing.
Opening ceremonies is over when we hear that Prince is hosting an after-party at Paisley Park. Somehow I end up with Prince Albert riding shotgun in my '68 VW Beetle. The night air is chilly so I crank up the heat. Prince Albert and I are chatting about the Opening Ceremonies but honestly, all I really want to do is ask him about his Mother. But I don't. We drive the long distance from downtown Minneapolis when I suddenly realize that Prince Albert is snoring away. I drive the rest of the way with him soundly asleep all the while I can't stop laughing to myself. How is it possible that this is happening?!
We arrive at Paisley Park and of course the place is packed. People are playing video games, hanging out in the studio, drinking and having a great time. Rumors are mulling around that Prince will perform a private concert just for us! Prince Albert seems a bit groggy and I'm wondering if it was such a good idea to bring him here. He seems bored and I just want to have fun.
The buzz of the crowd starts to get louder as everyone realizes Prince is making his way through the lobby. Maybe the rumor is true and he's going to sing for us! He's so very tiny in person and has changed into a bright yellow pantsuit complete with a halter top. As he moves closer to where I'm standing with Prince Albert I realize I need to make an introduction. I turn to Prince and say "hi Prince, this is Prince." Prince looks at me strangely. "I would like to introduce you to Prince Albert from Monaco." They shake hands and inside it's all I can do to control my laughter. Prince cracks a smile, as does Albert. I'm once again thinking to myself...is this really happening?!
Prince met Prince. Priceless.