Actor Hill Harper: Prince Balked At Doing Fundraiser For Barack Obama In '08, Before 'Coming Full Circle'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Prince touched a number of artists' lives, whether or not they actually met the Minneapolis legend in real life. But for those that did happen to cross paths with the Purple One, everyone has a story to share.
CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith chatted with actor Hill Harper, formerly of the CBS show "CSI: NY," and talked with him about his run-ins with Paisley Park's own. "Prince and I became friends, and he was very eccentric. We have some fallings out too, because he was very passionate," Harper said. "We fell out over politics."
Harper explained that Prince didn't like the fact that Harper was so political, which he attributed to Prince's being a Jehovah's Witness, though they eventually mended ways.
Harper has donated to a number of Democratic political candidates, and participated in a will.i.am music video endorsing then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
"Bruce Springsteen did this big fundraising concert for then Sen. Obama," Harper said. "So I said 'P, let's do a concert. He was insulted, he was mad." Harper said that eventually, though, Prince performed at the Obama White House for a party, "so he came full circle."
Harper said he had no idea Prince was living in such a state of pain during his final days.
"When he would walk with his cane and his limp, I thought he was just doing that for cool and swag," he said. "But he was really doing that because he was in pain. ... He seemed invincible."
Prince died in April 2016 at Paisley Park, following an opioid overdose.
