The late singer Prince seemed to be connected to everyone in the entertainment world, including Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Will Smith. If you didn't know, the two were apparently friends. According to Will Smith, he spoke to Prince the night before the singer died at the age of 57 on Thursday, April 21. Smith took to Facebook to express his heartache over his friend's death and shared, "I am stunned and heartbroken. I just spoke with him last night. Today, Jada & I mourn with all of you the loss of a beautiful poet, a true inspiration, and one of the most magnificent artists to ever grace this earth." I had no idea they were so close, which leaves me asking: How did Prince and Will Smith know each other?
For those unaware, the Carver County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his home. They also released a full statement, which you can read here. As r rep told Bustle soon after his death was announced, "It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57."
As for Prince and Will, it's not clear exactly when or how these two artists met, but I can only imagine they bumped into each other at some point in time during their careers. Whether it was an awards show, a red carpet event, or at a celebrity's birthday party, I'm sure they had quite the encounter.
Whatever their friendship was like, one thing remains certain. The Purple Rain star had a deep admiration for Will's kids, Willow and Jaden Smith, and their talent. While talking with Entertainment Weekly in September 2015 about his top 10 favorite artists that year, he said about Willow, "I love what she's doing, her and her brother [Jaden]. I want to meet them. It almost happened, but it didn't work out. I want to see what she's making in five years."
Wow. What an amazing compliment. Whether they ever ended up meeting, I'm not sure, but to have a legend like Prince say such amazing things about you as an artist has to mean a lot.
It's clear that Prince had some type of amazing connection with the Smith family. So much so, that Jada Pinkett Smith also took to Facebook to express her grief over his death. She wrote,
Prince was one of the first artists to put me on game in regard to the industry. He was not only a genius artist, he was kind, funny, beautifully eccentric, curious, imaginative, magical, spiritual, rebellious and extremely intelligent. He showed me early the power of living one's life by one's own rules and no one else's. There are really no words to express what we have all lost today. To quote my friend Paress, "Music has lost its heart beat." Rest in peace Beauty…
Like her husband, I'm not 100 percent certain how or when Pinkett Smith met Prince. That said, they do have a slight connection, in addition to the late singer admiring her children. Remember how she starred in the 1997 Wes Craven hit Scream 2? Well, a song written by Prince was featured on the soundtrack titled "She's Always in My Hair." It was produced and performed by D'Angelo. That's not much to go on, but when it comes to the entertainment industry, anything can bring famous people together.
There's no doubt Prince touched the lives of Will and Jada, just like he did the entire world. Wouldn't it be something if Willow and Jaden honored Prince by covering one of his songs? I have a feeling he'd love that.
