Stevie Wonder Discusses Prince & Covers ‘Purple Rain’

Legendary musician Stevie Wonder was a guest on today’s episode of CBS This Morning. Wonder was on to share his thoughts on the passing of Prince, who sadly died at age 57 yesterday. In addition to discussing the Purple One, Stevie also played one of Prince’s songs live in his honor.

Sporting purple attire, co-hosts Gayle King and Charlie Rose spoke with Wonder from Los Angeles about his relationship and his collaborations with Prince. Wonder expounded on how the two iconic musicians influenced each other, explaining Prince’s impact on his pursuit of a new instrument, which he later demonstrated while covering a classic Prince track.

“A man that did so much for the music world as well as for the consciousness of caring about people as did he,” Wonder said of Prince. “The marriage of his love for music, the marriage of his love for humankind, the marriage of his love for equality, the fact that he was not afraid – he did not ever allow his dreams to be put to sleep based on fear. So when I cry, every tear is for all those various reasons.”

Below watch an emotional Wonder present his touching cover of “Purple Rain” followed by his full segment featuring the interview and performance: