Prince Looked at Spike Lee Like He ‘Had 5 Heads’ After This Request originally appeared on Parade.
Spike Lee once asked Prince for a unique request, and although the late musician looked at the director as if he “had five heads,” he honored the big ask.
During a Thursday, July 31, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the late-night TV host asked Spike, 68, if certain stories about him were true.
Jimmy pulled out a photo of Spike and Prince sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden during the 1998 NBA All-Star Game as they engaged in a deep conversation.
“And is it true you asked him for a guitar at this game?” Jimmy, 50, asked the Oscar-winning director.
Spike confirmed that he did ask Prince for a personal instrument, but “not at that game.”
“But he looked at me like he had five heads,” Spike said.
“And a year later, a big ass guitar case shows up,” the Highest 2 Lowest director revealed. “A year later!”
Before going on to the next topic, Spike expressed how deeply he misses the legendary artist, with whom he had been friends after collaborating throughout their respective careers. In 1991, the “Lover” singer reached out to Spike in hopes of hiring him to direct the music video for “Money Don’t Matter 2 Night.” The song was released when Prince was a part of the band New Power Generation.
“If he didn’t have the belief in my ability, he would’ve never called me out of the blue, so that wasn’t a problem,” Spike told OkayPlayer in 2016. “There was no problems. In fact, he didn’t need to give me notes, you know? He said ‘love it,’ and they just put it out.”
In 1996, Prince lent his track list to Spike for the film Girl 6.
Prince died on April 21, 2016, after an accidental fentanyl overdose. Since then, Spike has honored his late friend and music icon in his films, including BlacKkKlansman.
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Prince Looked at Spike Lee Like He ‘Had 5 Heads’ After This Request first appeared on Parade on Aug 2, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
