Sheila E. Denied Entry To Paisley Park On Prince’s Birthday, Demands Her Drum Set Back

Musician Sheila E. was denied access to Paisley Park, the late Prince’s iconic studio and residence, as she attempted to celebrate what would have been the music legend’s 66th birthday on June 7.

Sheila E., a former protégée and collaborator of Prince, took to social media to express her heartbreak over the incident. In a video shared on Instagram, she revealed that she had traveled to Paisley Park in Minneapolis to commemorate Prince’s birthday but was not allowed to enter the studio, do a live video or take a picture there.

“I went in to celebrate him and wanted to go into the studio and do a live video. I took a picture, and they said, ‘No,'” Sheila E. said in the video. “My heart’s broke. I can’t even walk into Paisley. That’s kind of messed up.”

In response, Paisley Park, which now serves as a museum dedicated to Prince’s legacy, released a statement:

“Hello Sheila – We love and respect you, and we did offer for you to come in and film in the soundstage or other areas, but we couldn’t allow filming in the studios without prior knowledge and planning, especially with tours going on at the time,” the statement read. “We hope to have you back to Paisley Park in the future — just give us a heads-up! Happy Prince Day.”

In a follow-up statement, Sheila E. said she would like her drum set, which is currently on loan to Paisley Park, to be returned to her.

Sheila E. and Prince had a longstanding creative partnership, collaborating on several songs, including the hit that propelled Sheila E. to stardom, 1984’s “The Glamorous Life.” The musician was in Minnesota at the time to perform a concert with Morris Day & the Time, another prominent Prince protégé and co-star in the iconic film Purple Rain.

Prince died in 2016 from an accidental opioid overdose.

In 2009, Shiela E. spoke exclusively to uInterview about her experience making Purple Rain. 

“The hard work that I had done prior to going out on the Purple Rain tour … I was in Europe, and we did probably a month and a half of press nonstop and played every television show,” she said. “We did as much as we could and then came back to the States. That’s when the single was released, and then it went out on tour for about a year. It takes that much work. It takes hard work if you want to do something like that. You have to put everything that you have into it and just keep going. We had a great time, but I didn’t know it would become what it is now.”