Legendary singer Prince has been posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. He originally was supposed to be honoured at the SHOF gala in 2016, but died two months before the event.

The posthumous induction took place on July 27 during a Prince celebration at Minneapolis’ Target Centre, and marks the 40th anniversary of the release of his semi-autobiographical film Purple Rain.

The late musician was first elected in 2013 ; however, the policy stated that a songwriter must personally be present at the annual induction and awards gala to be officially inducted, and Prince was unable to attend for several years.

What makes Prince’s induction into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame even more special is the confirmation that he knew of the intended honour and was planning to attend the ceremony in 2016, it was finally bestowed at Saturday night’s #PurpleRain screening at the Target Centre 💜 We… pic.twitter.com/IeSAE4yIQm

— PrinceShop.Online-UK (@RockItPooleUK) July 29, 2024

“He reached out at the end of 2015 and said how important the award was to him and that the June 2016 ceremony could work,” President and CEO Lina Moran explained. “We planned that it would be unannounced and a surprise; but unfortunately Prince passed away two months beforehand in April.

“It has been a long road, but we are thrilled that one of the world’s most prolific and phenomenal songwriters is finally a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

Prince’s sister, Sharon L. Nelson, was the one to accept the award from Gilbert Davison. “You will always remember his songs,” she said. “This is the award he wanted more than any other in life — to be known as a great songwriter.”