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Prince: His life and music
Doualy Xaykaothao

Ex-Prince employees hope Paisley Park becomes museum

A rainbow appears over Paisley Park.
A fan mourns Prince's death on Thursday at Paisley Park, which many of his former employees want to turn into a museum.
Carlos Gonzalez | Star Tribune via AP

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What to do with Prince's famous motorcycle, his guitars, and other memorabilia after his death? Former Prince employees say they want Paisley Park to be a "living" museum.

"You could stuff it full of everything Prince — every guitar and record and motorcycle," said Michael Koppelman, a recording engineer for Prince in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

"When he died, people obviously demonstrated that they have a need to be close to him in some ways," he told MPR News on Tuesday. "Like Elvis, I can't think of anyone more deserving of a Graceland than Prince."

The music icon, 57, died last week at his Chanhassen compound. Friends and family members have said they intend to transform Paisley Park into a museum in Prince's memory.

"The music was first for Prince, so it should be a musical place," Koppelman added. "I don't know how you pull that off, making music, or letting people share music while they're at the museum."

Koppelman and Chuck Hermes said Prince helped launch their business, Clockwork, a digital agency based in Minneapolis.

"Last Thursday, the entire globe turned purple, the world expressed the love for what this person's art has meant," said Hermes, who worked as a graphic designer for Prince in the 1990s. "That's something that needs a memorial, a space, a permanent place."