Women Rule The World: Read How Girls Dominated Pop Legend Prince's Life and Work

The power the female s*x wields over the male cannot be overemphasised, and this revelation of the profound impact of women on late Prince's work is a testament.

 

Prince on stage

 

Prince's career and personal life had always featured an ever-changing line-up of beautiful, talented ladies.

 

The showstopping appearance with Beyoncé at the 2004 Grammy Awards was just the latest confirmation of the "Women not girls rule my world" declaration made on the 1986 smash hit single Kiss.

 

From early in his career, women such as Wendy and Lisa, Jill Jones and Sheila E have featured prominently in his bands.

 

The statuesque Apollonia - aka actress Patricia Kotero - played Prince's love interest in his massively successful 1984 movie Purple Rain. He reciprocated, playing a gay guy going after her bisexual male lover, on the album by her band Apollonia 6. She also first recorded the Prince song Manic Monday which later became a hit for The Bangles.

 

Another artist transformed by the purple one's songwriting was Sinead O'Connor, who had her greatest hit with Nothing Compares 2 U. It went to No 1 around the world in 1990.

 

British starlet Sheena Easton also profited from her creative association with the Paisley Park legend, having her sexiest hit with his suggestive Sugar Walls. The pair also famously duetted on the no-holds-barred 1987 single U Got The Look.

 

Soul legends Chaka Khan and Mavis Staples both enjoyed a spell on Prince's label, benefitting from his professional rather than personal touch, with Khan scoring a hit with the Prince track I Feel For You.

 

Another protegée was Anna Garcia who, as a 16-year-old, met Prince at a London concert. Two years later, and renamed Anna Fantastic, she was living and recording with him in Minneapolis. Playboy and Baywatch starlet Carmen Electra was another star who had a shortlived spell on Prince's label.

 

There have, though, only been two women to have snared Prince as a husband. The first was backing singer Mayte Garcia. They wed in 1996. Their only child, Gregory, died soon after birth from a rare skull defect, and the couple divorced in 2000.

 

A marriage to Paisley Park employee Manuela Testolini ended after five years in 2006, but Prince also found happiness with another girlfriend/protegée Bria Valente.