I had planned a relaxed evening with my daughter and son-in-law at a Prince tribute.
What I didn’t expect at House Three Thirty: to interact with someone who had not only met Prince but has dedicated his life to preserving the legacy of ‘The Purple One.’
Enter Preston Stewart.
Dressed in a striking, well-tailored purple suit, a slightly buttoned pinstripe shirt, accented by a perfectly folded pocket square and dark round sunglasses, this debonair 62-year-old exuded an air of mystique and drama. Think royalty meets rockstar.
Throughout the performance, Stewart swayed and clapped, mingled with friends.
Curiosity got the better of me as I approached Stewart, whose passions are threefold: Prince, the Dallas Cowboys and his role as lead funeral director of Stewart & Calhoun Funeral Home in Akron.
Stewart doesn’t just admire the “When Doves Cry” artist who enjoyed five No. 1 hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts — he reveres him. He considers the artist a once-in-a-lifetime genius: a singer, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, dancer and performer who consistently reached musical heights. Prince’s “Minneapolis sound?” Pure magic, according to Stewart and the artist’s thousands of fans.
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Stewart’s admiration began early. He watched Prince’s national television debut on “American Bandstand” in 1980 (he performed “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”) Prince’s shyness offstage contrasted sharply with his electric, sensual performances — a paradox that fascinated Stewart.
While attending the University of Tennessee from 1981 to 1987 for chemical engineering, Stewart and one friend in particular decorated their dorm rooms with Prince posters, wore buttons proclaiming their allegiance and listened for hours to Prince albums. Stewart even won a Prince look-alike contest. (Yes, there’s photo proof!)
The two devoted fans hit the road from Knoxville to attend their first Prince concert. They were at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta to witness the “1999” album tour.
Phenomenal.
Nothing compared to the time he met Prince.
The year was 1988. While attending an engineering conference in California, a waitress at the Hard Rock Café tipped him off to a Tuesday night party at a warehouse club on the Sunset Strip.
It seemed sketchy at first. Stewart nearly drove away.
Fate had other plans.
Inside, he was spotted by a well-known comedian, Paul Mooney, who recognized his Prince devotion and invited him to the VIP area. Moments later, he was face to face with the Prince. What. A. Night.
Unforgettable? How about life changing.
“He was a little giant,” Stewart says, recalling the encounter with reverence. Prince’s presence, style and enigmatic allure deepened Stewart’s respect for the icon he believes was the most talented musician of all time.
Stewart has no “favorite” Prince song — just an unending playlist of brilliance. Don’t ask him to name a favorite; you’ll get only a blank stare.
Stewart has watched “Purple Rain” more than 100 times, starting with its opening day, July 27, 1984, at the movie theater at Rolling Acres Mall. He rushed from work that day; he then saw it six more times that week. Stewart still enjoys watching the movie from time to time.
Much of the movie was filmed in the First Avenue neighborhood in Minneapolis. When Stewart visited the city, he stopped there. An employee allowed him to even though it was closed at the time.
A surprise tour. Unbelievable. Stewart’s feet touched the very location where the movie was filmed.
He even made a pilgrimage to Prince’s home, only to find it surprisingly sterile. Still, standing there felt sacred.
The visit to Minneapolis was in 2015. He hopes to return for the tour of Paisley Park, Prince’s home and studio.
After Prince’s death on April 21, 2016, Stewart was inconsolable. “I cried,” he said simply. “The whole day was a blur.”
His biggest regret? Skipping a late-night show at the Rio in Las Vegas.
“It seemed expensive then,” he sighs when thinking back to the $150 ticket he passed on. It would have marked his final Prince moment.
“Now it feels like a tragedy.”
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