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Paul McCartney’s Letter To Prince Seeking Donation To Form Art School Sold At Auction

By Ny MaGee
Published on: 13:46 PST, Jul 17, 2016

A letter written by Sir Paul McCartney to the late Prince recently sold for almost $15,000 at auction. The rock legend sent a letter asking Prince for a donation to form the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). AI notes that the former Beatles star formed the Institute in 1996, so the letter would have been sent before that year. McCartney’s two-page letter to Prince sold for $14,822.50 at Boston’s RR Auction.

The letter reads, in part, the following.

“Dear Princely person, Hi there! I know how hard it is to always be getting letters that ask for some favour or another, so it was not easy for me to accept the job of Lead Patron for a Performing Arts School to be located in my home town, Liverpool.”

“But, you guessed it! I did agree to do it, so now I’m writing to ‘friends and all good people’ to try and interest them in the scheme.”

“The story started just after the inner-city riots in Liverpool a few years ago. A friend suggested that what the city needs is a ‘Fame’ School.”

“I liked the idea as a possible positive focus for local and overseas kids, but it was only later when I went back to my own old school that was in ruins, that I thought by locating a Performing Arts Centre there we could save the 1825 building in the process. So…(phew!). We’re now well on our way, as the enclosed info shows, but there’s still a lot to be done.”

“A donation from you would be a great boost to the project, and I know your involvement in some way, would be a thrill for everyone concerned. Hope you didn’t mind me writing this, it’s so long since I’ve written letters I feel like I’m back at school myself. Anyway, one of these days you’ll have to come and teach a class some moves!!”

Paul says in the letter that he hopes to create “something special for thousands of future kids.”

Today, LIPA is one of the United Kingdom’s leading arts institutions and offers training in Acting, Community Drama, Dance, Music, Music, Theatre, and Entertainment Management, Sound Technology, Theatre and Performance Technology, and Theatre and Performance Design.

Robert Livingston, Vice President at RR Auction in Boston who sold the letter, said, “We’re not sure if Prince made a donation or not —the vast majority of his contributions were gifted anonymously. It is an incredible letter with personal content relating to McCartney’s philanthropic efforts to extend the gift of music to future generations.”

Prince died in April, allegedly from an accidental overdose of opioid fentanyl, according to the medical examiner. During his illustrious career, the Minneapolis native sold over 100 million records worldwide. He won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Following Prince’s death, McCartney tweeted, “Saddened by Prince’s death. Proud to have seen in the New Year with him. He seemed fine and played brilliantly funky music.” He added in a follow-up, “God bless this creative giant. Thanks Prince. Love X Paul.”

In related news, McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono celebrated the 10th anniversary of The Beatles Love show in Las Vegas last week. TheDaily Mail reports that the Cirque du Soleil show, which features songs from the English rock group, was recently revamped with new choreography and song changes. The show also employs an augmented projection system that uses the stage as a surface.

Paul’s letter to Prince can be viewed here.


[Photo by CAPmar/MediaPunch/IPX/AP Images]

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