*Apollonia Kotero is famously known for co-starring in Prince’s 1984 film “Purple Rain,” and she also had a longtime friendship with the late music star.
Kotero is speaking out about her bond with Prince, which was never romantic but she admits to having a brief crush on him at one point.
“I had a little mini crush one time,” she told PEOPLE. “He was performing ‘Computer Blue’ and he was oily and shirtless and for a moment I was like, ‘He’s really sexy,’ but then I got myself together. We had great chemistry. But our romance was only onscreen.”
READ MORE: Apollonia Comes for Sheila E. Over Prince Tribute: ‘You Are So Desperate to Be Relevant’
Prince and Apollonia were friends for nearly four decades after first meeting when she auditioned for the romantic lead in “Purple Rain.” The memories they created together she will forever cherish.
“I got to a restaurant and ‘Purple Rain’ comes on or I get in my car and ‘Take Me with U’ comes on,” said Kotero of her and Prince’s biggest hits. “No matter how much time goes by, he’s everywhere. I see him in everything.”
She tells PEOPLE that Prince was a “prankster” but he was also “very gentle and very shy,” said Apollonia, who now hosts a podcast, Apollonia Studio 6.
“The fame became a challenge for him,” Kotero said. “He was modest. But he became alive on stage and became the Prince we all know and love.”
On this day in 1983, Prince recorded the “Sex Shooter.” Originally intended for Vanity 6, it was reworked for Apollonia 6 and featured prominently in Purple Rain. Prince’s rendition of the song was released from his vault in 2019 on the album Originals. https://t.co/6Rzerretjg pic.twitter.com/Db6q3i5BZd
— Prince (@prince) April 30, 2022
Kotero said the last time she saw Prince “he didn’t look the same.”
She added, “Out of the blue he said, ‘Some people think I look too thin,’ but then he shrugged his shoulders. When we said goodbye, I told him I loved him, and he told me, ‘I love you too.’”
Prince died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl on April 21, 2016, at 57.
“I became severely depressed,” said Kotero, who took the news about his death quite hard. “It was horrible.”
“Prince gave me beautiful gifts,” she continued. “He is my legacy. And he will live on forever.”
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
