Shockingly, Prince, one of the world’s biggest music legends, doesn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But it’s not because he couldn’t.
The iconic singer, who passed away suddenly on Thursday, was approached not once but twice for the honor. But in both cases he declined.
“He was on my wish list,” Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, told TheWrap. “But he felt that it wasn’t the right time.”
According to the rules set by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which oversees the iconic landmark, stars have to be nominated for the plaque.
Prince’s name was floated twice. The first time was in the ’90s (for a ceremony to be held in 1999, to honor the late singer’s smash hit of the same name) and again about a year or two ago, according to Martinez.
Guidlines stipulate that the person being honored has to give his approval for the star, a rule set in place years ago when the organization was forced to scrap plans for a Bruce Springsteen star, after the singer made it clear he didn’t want one.
But Prince could still get a star on Hollywood Boulevard… though not for a while.
Walk of Fame stars can be granted posthumously. But there’s a five-year waiting period after a performer’s death before that can happen, Martinez explained.
Anyone can nominate a star, be it a fan club or a coworker, as long as they have $30,000 on hand, which goes to pay for the maintenance of the plaque and production cost for the ceremony, and a commitment from the actual star to attend the ceremony.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is currently taking applications for the next batch of stars — anywhere between 24 and 30 a year — in five categories: Recording, TV, Live Performance/Theater, Motion Picture and Radio.
The Chamber has already received about 200 applications which it will review before it makes its decision in June.