--- title: Prince Pictures: Portraits From 'Purple Rain' and More description: Though Prince passed away in 2016, his cultural contributions continue. Here, see his best candid portraits from the LIFE Picture Collection canonical: https://time.com/5215461/prince-photographs-life-archive/ author: LIFE Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-27T14:30:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-17T15:17:11.000Z og:title: Prince Pictures: Portraits From 'Purple Rain' and More og:description: Though Prince passed away in 2016, his cultural contributions continue og:url: https://time.com/5215461/prince-photographs-life-archive/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0274bdbac401205/69892bfb4ee2621ccd3114ce/prince_110008934_13881035_8.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Prince_110008934_13881035_8 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Prince Pictures: Portraits From 'Purple Rain' and More twitter:description: Though Prince passed away in 2016, his cultural contributions continue twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0274bdbac401205/69892bfb4ee2621ccd3114ce/prince_110008934_13881035_8.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # I See Your Picture Wherever I Go: Prince in the LIFE Archive by [LIFE Staff](/author/life-staff/) ## LIFE Staff Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:17 PM CUTPublished: Mar 27, 2018 2:30 PM CUT  Prince performs onstage at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on May 30, 1986 Prince performs onstage at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on May 30, 1986The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [LIFE Staff](/author/life-staff/) ## LIFE Staff Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:17 PM CUTPublished: Mar 27, 2018 2:30 PM CUT Prince’s ballad “Sea of Everything” — from _20Ten_, his 35th album — begins by evoking the power of an image. “I see your picture wherever I go / I’m not here to lecture, just letting you know,” the ballad begins. “I know you’re busy, the world’s calling you…” The world, it seems, will always be calling for [Prince](http://time.com/4748347/prince-death-anniversary-the-revolution-reunion-paisley-park/ "undefined") — and for any new pictures of him. In music’s never-ending search for authenticity and genius, few can match Prince’s talents as a musician or songwriter. As LIFE observed in 1992, his music “sprang from that fundamental basement playroom where all rock is gestated. He drew into a single voice the various sounds of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Funkadelic, which he pressed into the thunder of Purple Rain. Prince remembered two basic facts about rock: It’s dance music, and its signature emotion is longing, romantic yearning.” Although Prince passed away two years ago this April, his contributions to culture continue. In a recent interview with the [_Guardian_](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/feb/22/you-dont-own-or-control-me-janelle-monae-on-her-music-politics-and-undefinable-sexuality "undefined"), Janelle Monáe said that her new album _Dirty Computer_ (set to release on April 27) features sounds she was “collecting” with her friend Prince. And on her [new single](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGRzz0oqgUE "undefined"), “Make Me Feel,” with its synth hook and yearning lyrics, that influence is clear_._ This week, LIFE combed through its archives of hundreds of candid Prince photos to give a closer look at the beloved Purple One. LIFE photographer Gjon Mili once wrote that the best portrait is when the subject is “free and easy…in the line of the body.” By that logic, it was impossible for Prince to take a bad picture. _This gallery was produced in partnership with Spotify as part of their year-long “Black History Is Happening Now” platform. Click_ [_here_](https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N51703.157906TIMEINC/B20912597.217191023;dc%5Ftrk%5Faid=415992782;dc%5Ftrk%5Fcid=99472472;dc%5Flat=;dc%5Frdid=;tag%5Ffor%5Fchild%5Fdirected%5Ftreatment= "undefined") _for curated playlists, videos, podcasts and more that celebrate Black achievements and culture beyond Black History Month._ _Pop, rock, funk, R&B, psychdelia – the man from Minneapolis was a true original and earth-shattering performer. Hear Prince Rogers Nelson’s best right now. Listen here:_  Prince on tour for Purple Rain, 1985. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince plays guitar on his Purple Rain tour in Inglewood, California on Feb. 17, 1985 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince during his Purple Rain tour, Long Beach, Calif., March 10, 1985 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince during his Purple Rain tour, Long Beach, Calif., March 10, 1985 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince during a Purple Rain tour performance in Los Angeles, California, March 1985 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince, in a beaded cape, attends the 57th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1985\. He won an Oscar that year for Purple Rain The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince in a white coat and jumpsuit in Hollywood on Jan. 12, 1986 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince performs onstage at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on May 30, 1986 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince attends a performance of M. Butterfly on Broadway, Sept. 23, 1988\. He wears a jacket with his hometown, Minneapolis, printed on the sleeve The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince on his Lovesexy tour in 1988 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince signs records on his Lovesexy tour, 1988. The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Prince on stage under a banner that reads “No War,” circa 1988 The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5215461/prince-photographs-life-archive/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5215461/prince-photographs-life-archive/"},"headline":"I See Your Picture Wherever I Go: Prince in the LIFE Archive","datePublished":"2018-03-27T14:30:21.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-17T15:17:11.000Z","description":"Though Prince passed away in 2016, his cultural contributions continue. Here, see his best candid portraits from the LIFE Picture Collection","url":"https://time.com/5215461/prince-photographs-life-archive/","keywords":["Music","photography"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0274bdbac401205/69892bfb4ee2621ccd3114ce/prince_110008934_13881035_8.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"LIFE Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/life-staff/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0274bdbac401205/69892bfb4ee2621ccd3114ce/prince_110008934_13881035_8.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Prince_110008934_13881035_8","caption":"American musician Prince (1958 - 2016) performs onstage during a pre-tour concert at the Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, California, May 30, 1986","creditText":"The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/music/","name":"Music"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5215461/prince-photographs-life-archive/","name":"I See Your Picture Wherever I Go: Prince in the LIFE Archive"}}]}] ```