Dave Chappelle portraying late music legend Prince in Chappelle’s Show remains to be one of the comedian’s most iconic skits on the series and has gone down in pop culture history since it’s debut in 2004.
Prince reportedly loved the sketch, and a friendship between the pair soon blossomed between Chappelle and the rocker.
“He thought it was hilarious,” former cast member Donnell Rawlings said of Prince’s reaction in a previous interview with THR. “And I think [Chappelle and Prince] really built a friendship after that sketch.”
Ahead of the news that a deluxe version of Prince’s 1987 album Sign O’ the Times is set to be reissued on September 25th, Dave has spoken out about his relationship with the star and how he was the “only person he could relate to” following the comic’s exit from the show at the peak of its popularity.
“When I left Chappelle’s Show, not only was Prince the only person I could relate to, he was one of the few people who truly cared about what was happening in my life. He was the only one I knew who had already done it…The mere sight of Prince reminded me that I’m not the last sane man on earth, and I’m not crazy.”
While Prince died in April 2016 due to an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park home, the True Hollywood Stories skit about the ‘Kiss’ hitmaker continues to be so popular that people apparently mistake Chappelle for the ‘Little Red Corvette’ singer.
“Some people think Dave Chappelle is Prince,” Chappelle’s Show cast member Donnell Rawling has previously told THR.
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“I’m pretty sure someone had to put out some disclaimer saying ‘Dave Chappelle is not dead. Prince died,'” Rawlings said.
“Prince is much larger than a sketch, but just showing what Chappelle’s Show did for the art form, when you mention Prince and his music, there is no way to get around that groundbreaking sketch.
Chappelle’s Show castmember Donnell Rawlings tells The Hollywood Reporter he will never forget making the sketch, and he hopes it will help fans somewhat overcome their sadness.
“He thought it was hilarious,” Rawlings says of Prince’s reaction. “And I think [Chappelle and Prince] really built a friendship after that sketch.”
“He was the only one I knew who had already done it,” he continued. “In the loneliest corners of that experience, there was always a sign, like “Brooks was here,” that he had been there and lived to tell about it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miZxYjqqjZM
