Australian artist pays tribute to Prince with 'Purple Rain'-inspired mural

On Thursday, the music industry mourned as it lost another icon, Prince. Reports about his sudden death ushered in a wave of emotional tributes all over the Internet from fans and other music artists, who wish to remember the legendary singer’s colourful life and work.

An Australian artist has decided to honour Prince in the best way he knows how – by painting a mural of the musician. Graham Hoete shared in his Facebook page a photo of his creation: a black-and-white portrait of Prince on a wall outside the Street University in Sydney. Taking off from one of Prince’s greatest hits, “Purple Rain,” Hoete surrounded Prince’s face with a purple haze.

“Tribute to one of my (favorite) artists, a creative genius & all time legend who was a major influence throughout my childhood & life… so many memories,” the 37-year-old artist wrote in the caption. His post has reached close to 4,000 likes, while the time-lapse video that he shared showing how he painted the mural has garnered about 14,000 views.

With his masterpiece gaining popularity and recognition worldwide, Hoerte expressed his desire to paint a five-storey high mural in Prince’s hometown. He wrote, “Due to quite a few overseas requests I'm now wanting to paint a 5 Storey high Tribute Mural of Prince at Paisley Park in his Hometown Chanhassen/Minnesota! But Seeking sponsorship for flights & accomodation, & help sourcing a Large Wall - if I can get the help, We can make it happen!”

Asked why he spent time doing the mural, Hoete said that Prince became an important part of his childhood and life. “I thought, I want to try and use my art to pay tribute to a creative genius,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “Purple Rain is my favourite song of his. My older brother was a huge Prince fan. I still remember seeing all the album artwork as a five-year-old — we had all the record albums.”

On Saturday, Prince’s remains were cremated and a private memorial was held with his loved ones. At present, the real cause of his death is still unconfirmed and reports say that authorities are still investigating the incident. Autopsy results are still pending, and reports say it could take weeks before they come out. Prince, who was found unconscious in an elevator at Paisley Park, was pronounced dead at 10:07 a.m. on April 21.

[READ: “Six days before death, Prince allegedly treated for drug overdose”]

Immediately following Prince’s death, his music has skyrocketed again in terms of sales. On Thursday alone, Prince sold a total of 231,800 albums, according to BuzzAngle Music. His top-selling albums were "The Very Best of Prince," followed by "Purple Rain," "The Hits/The B-Sides" and "Ultimate Prince." His songs are also dominating the charts in iTunes and Amazon, led by "Purple Rain" and "Little Red Corvette."