Sheila E. thought she would be welcomed if she showed up unannounced to record a video Paisley Park where the Grammy-nominated percussionist once collaborated with her mentor and former fiancé, the late rock superstar Prince. She was wrong.
She said in an Instagram video that she was injured while paying her respects there on Friday, what would have been his 66th birthday, but was not allowed into a studio. She said it “won’t take away from the joy he and I had together” at the suburban Minneapolis studio that is now a museum in his memory.
“I went in to celebrate him, and I wanted to go into the studio and do a live video, take a photo, and they said, ‘No.’ Sheila said. “My heart is broken. I can’t even walk into Paisley. That’s a bit messed up. Not a nice way to celebrate his birthday.”
In a follow-up statement released through her publicist on Monday, Sheila said she now wants the museum to return her old drum kit, which Prince personally asked to “borrow” for display there. She said she even heard a tour guide say, “My idol, Sheila E. even has her drums in the studio!”
Paisley Park posted on its own Instagram account that it only needed advance warning.
“Hello Sheila – We love and respect you, and we offered to come in and film in the soundstage or other areas, but we could not allow filming in the studios without prior knowledge and planning, especially not when tours are taking place in We hope to see you back at Paisley Park in the future – give us a shout for Happy Prince Day,” the message read, ending with a purple heart emoji.
Sheila was in Minnesota on Saturday for a concert with Morris Day & the Time in the northern city of Walker. In her statement on Monday, she said she was the first artist to record with Prince at Paisley Park, walking the grounds with him while “the base was just dirt and rope.” So she believes that her history should count for something.
Prins had no will when he died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016, so his estate, including Paisley Park, went to his siblings, who later sold most of their shares. His estate is now owned by two companies, the music management company Primary Wave and Prince Legacy LLC, with a 2% share still held by his sister, Tyka Nelson.
