Prince stars in the new episode of Rock Legends on Rai5

The story of the incomparable composer and multi-instrumentalist born Rogers Nelson, known as Prince, who changed the course of black music forever: it's revisited in "Rock Legends", airing Wednesday 28 January at 11:25pm on Rai 5. Directed by Lyndy Saville, the episode – through interviews, music, anecdotes and videoclips – retraces in "extended play" form the life and career of Prince, who died on 21 April 2016 at the age of 57. A story of constant metamorphosis and transformation.

Recently, the name of Prince has also returned to the spotlight thanks to the TV series "Stranger Things". The inclusion of "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry" in the final episode had an immediate effect on streaming platforms. In the days following the broadcast, "Purple Rain" saw streams increase by more than 200% worldwide, with an even sharper spike among younger listeners. "When Doves Cry" is following a similar trajectory, while Prince's entire catalogue has benefited from renewed interest.

Meanwhile, there won't be a chance to revisit Prince's story on TV: the documentary on the American artist has been cancelled. The heirs of the Prince of Minneapolis have in fact managed to block Netflix, which, directed by Ezra Edelman, had produced six episodes dedicated to the artist's story.

Already last summer, the Prince Estate had spoken out against Edelman's documentary produced by Netflix. The reason is that, according to Prince's heirs, the film contained inaccuracies described as "dramatic" and episodes recounted in an overly sensationalistic manner.

The director – already behind the O.J. Simpson documentary "O.J.: Made in America" – had worked on the project without consulting the heirs along the way, also breaching a contractual clause regarding the documentary's length, which ran a full three hours longer than required.

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