Jehovah's Witnesses Hold Prince Farewell Service

They knew him as 'Brother Nelson'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 16, 2016 1:03 AM CDT
Jehovah's Witnesses Hold Prince Farewell Service
Sheila E arrives at the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall for a memorial service for Prince on Sunday in Minnetonka, Minn.   (Jeff Wheeler)

Security was tight as mourners packed a Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall on Sunday evening for a memorial for megastar Prince, who worshipped there before he died last month. Media and fans were kept well back from the invitation-only event in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka. A city spokeswoman said last week that police were preparing for up to 500 people, including up to 50 high-profile guests. A program said the service was to begin with the song "He Will Call," the AP reports. It also included an interview with Larry Graham, the former Sly and the Family Stone bassist who was Prince's spiritual mentor and introduced him to the Jehovah's Witnesses faith. The program was to conclude with the song "See Yourself When All Is New."

On the back of the program was a quote from the Prince song, "Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed," from his 2006 album 3121. It read, "If I were to ever write down my life story, I could truly say with all the fame and glory, I was just a piece of clay in need of the potter's hand." In an interview with the AP two weeks ago, Graham said it was important to Prince to give his fans joy with his music. But the most important thing to Prince was being able to share Scripture, he said: "His joy—his biggest joy was sharing the hope of everlasting life." Prince, known at the Kingdom Hall as "Brother Nelson," was found dead at age 57 in his Paisley Park recording complex in Chanhassen on April 21. Authorities are still investigating. (More Prince stories.)

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