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There's A Petition To Get Prince A Star On The Walk Of Fame
Prince in 2007 (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
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There's a petition to get Prince his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. However, it's going to be a bit more complicated than that, partially because of Prince himself. The Change.org petition points out that Prince doesn't have a star on the iconic stretch of sidewalk, but Donald Trump does. "His lack of recognition in one of the most well known tributes in the world is a travesty of the highest caliber," the petition states dramatically. The petition is less than 700 signatures away from its goal of 25,000, but the issue of Prince's star has little to do with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and everything to do with The Purple One himself.
According to a post on the Walk of Fame's Facebook page, Prince twice declined a star.
We have been receiving many inquiries regarding the issue of Prince not having a Walk of Fame star. In response to these questions Prince was approached on two occasions about the possibility of being nominated for a star and he stated that the timing was not right. We would have loved to honor this very deserving talent. It is unfortunate that it did not work out.
In order for a celebrity to get a star, someone has to nominate them. That's simple enough, but they also have to have $30,000, which pays for the ceremony and the maintenance of the star. Also, the celebrity has to commit to actually attending to their own Walk of Fame Ceremony.
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Prince was nominated in the '90s and again a couple of years ago, according to Anna Martinez, who produces the Walk of Fame ceremonies. She told The Wrap that Prince was on her celebrity "wish list." Celebrities can receive a star posthumously, but only 5 years after their death. And it still costs $30,000.
When a celebrity who has a star passes, fans in Hollywood often flock to their star to pay their respects, as they did in January with David Bowie. Hollywood Prince fans have done the same by giving him a star, using the blank ones.
Prince never had an official star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame... one fan decided to add one. #PurpleRain pic.twitter.com/dnl0DoEHIB
— Wendy Burch (@TheWendyBurch) April 25, 2016
Prince isn't the only musician who has passed on a star. Bruce Springsteen also declined.
Speaking of which, The Boss opened his Brooklyn show on Saturday night with "Purple Rain."
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