In lieu of a regular SNL episode last evening, the NBC series hosted a special tribute to the late, great Prince, hosted by Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon. The comedian called Prince “a special presence” on the series for the last four decades.
“Other people may have been on the show more times or performed more frequently, but there was always something different about a Prince performance — it was special, it was an event, it was Prince.”
The tribute “Goodnight Sweet Prince” features memorable performances from the Purple One’s SNL appearances in 1981 (he was only 22-years-old), 2006 (playing the 15th-anniversary special), and 2014 (performing an eight-minute jam session with backing band 3rdeyegirl ).
There’s also a clip of Prince’s surprise performance at the SNL 40th anniversary after-party at the Plaza Hotel. The singer performed “Let’s Go Crazy” alongside SNL vets, including Martin Short, Bill Murray, and Chris Rock.
And here’s a different angle of the 40th-anniversary after-party performance.