Today is the one-year anniverary of Prince's passing.  While we lost a legend too soon, his death actually shattered a pretty substantial record.

Since 4/21/16, Prince sold 2.23 MILLION albums, more than ANY other artist in 2016.  Even Adele couldn't match him, with a "meager" 2.21 million.  Hello from the other side, indeed.

This morning we paid tribute to The Skipper from 7a to 8a with all Prince music, including the new release, Deliverance.  We scattered in some "Prince-ables", also known as little known facts about him.  Here are a few you might not know (click the lines in BOLD for more!)

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    Redferns
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    1

    He Had LOTS of Nicknames

    Throughout his career, he's been known as:

    • The Kid
    • The Purple Purv
    • The Minneapolis Midget
    • Alexander NEvermind
    • Christopher Tracy

    And yes, his real name was Prince Rogers Nelson, named after his father's jazz combo.

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    Bettmann Archive
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    2

    He Was a BIG Beatles Fan

    In 1980 when John Lennon was gunned down, Prince was only a few blocks away.  He was known to cover songs like "Come Together" and crushed "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (click link above to hear).

    Prince actually penned more songs than The Beatles, with a back catalog of over 600 songs.

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    3

    He Was A Talented Athlete

    The 5'2" musician once played for one of the best school teams in Minnesota (made famous by the hilarious Dave Chapelle skit featuring the late Charlie Murphy).

    But he was also a big fan of ping pong! The most famous match in recent years was on the show New Girl.  He actually liked the show so much, he appeared in an episode and schooled Zooey Deschenel in the art of table tennis. (Here he is getting schooled by "CeCe") He doled out some dating advice too....

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    Getty Images
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    4

    He Played Willy Wonka

    Fourteen purple tickets were hidden inside Prince's 2006 album "3121".  If you found one, you were invited to attend a private performance at his LA home.

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    Michael Ochs Archives
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    5

    He Killed At The Box Office While Ruling the Charts

    During the week of July 27, 1984, Prince ruled the film box office AND topped the single and album charts simultaneously.  Purple Rain was in theaters, and "When Doves Cry" was number one.

    By the way, the film only cost $7 million to make.  It pulled in $68,392, 977.  Not a bad profit.  The director told Spin Magazine that one of Prince's favorite meals was spaghetti and orange juice.

    Hey, when you just made a studio over $61 million, you can have whatever you want.

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