The late great Prince was indeed paid tribute to by Justin Timberlake during his Super Bowl LII Pepsi halftime show, but it didn't happen the way many feared it might.
When the news of the Artist's posthumous involvement with the show came down -- stemming from his relationship to the host city of Minneapolis, Minnesota -- some suspected the show might try to resurrect Prince for a hologram duet. That possibility sparked a great deal of backlash from Prince fans who cried foul and cited the artist's own words of condemnation for the controversial practice of giving three-dimensional new life to throwback performances of lost singers as evidence that he would not appreciate the gesture.
Prince reportedly once said of the concept, "That's the most demonic thing imaginable. Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age."
So, instead of disrespecting Prince's own feelings, Timberlake instead sat before a giant screen that featured video imagery of Prince's performance, with Timberlake playing backup to his vocals for the iconic number, "I Would Die 4 U." Soon after, purple lights were seen scattered across the roofs of buildings surrounding the stadium, and an image of his signature symbol lit up throughout the same block.
.@JTimberlake pays tribute to Prince during his #SuperBowl halftime show performance https://t.co/AnoevlnJIt #SB52 pic.twitter.com/goZZlcoJSp
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 5, 2018Other Links From TVGuide.com Super Bowl LIINFL Super Bowl LIIJustin Timberlake