Pepe Willie, Mentor Who Saved Prince’s Career, Dead at 76

Pepé Willie, who played a key role in securing Prince’s early career, died at the age of 76 on May 31 after a cancer battle, it was confirmed.

Willie had been an important part of the Minneapolis music scene since moving there from New York in the ’70s, and had established a reputation as the go-to guy for anyone who needed career advice or support.

Willie – who got his nickname because of the pep talks he provided – recruited Prince for his band 94 East before helping the future Purple Rain star establish his solo career.

READ MORE: Prince’s Bandmates: Where Are They Now?

When Prince’s label insisted on seeing him perform live, Willie arranged three concerts at the Capri Theater, Minneapolis, in January 1979.

“The Capri was do or die,” Prince’s drummer Bobby Z told the Star Tribune in a new interview. “After that first album, it was pretty scary what was going to happen. Pepé was fluent in the language of the business. That was big for all of us. He had a huge influence on us for a while. He was the glue.”

Z stated: “The Prince story would not have happened the way it did without Pepé. He was there for us all along. He was like a godfather to us.”

André Cymone, another former Prince bandmate, said: “We were flying blind for a while because Prince didn’t have management. Pepé was the bridge of getting Prince from Point A to Point B. … If you ran into brick walls you could always reach out to Pepé.”

Singer Morris Day credited Pepé with helping him establish his solo career after his working partnership with Prince collapsed. “He was there to lend his knowledge,” Day said. “He didn’t demand or even ask about money. It was definitely for the love of it all. … He was a very savvy industry guy.”

How Prince and Pepé Willie’s Friendship Ended

In 2020 Pepé – who’d just published his memoir – told the Star Tribune of Prince: “In the studio, he soaked it all in. … I tried to keep up with his work ethic, and I’m a hard worker. I could not keep up. … This was a guy who really wanted to make it. I always admired his talent in music. He was a true genius in music.”

But he reported that the pair had last spoken in 2002. “He got star-itis. He just stayed away from people. We used to call him ‘the lonely guy.’” He recalled the final call in which Prince had asked for an issue to be resolved. After assuring him it would be done, Pepé asked him: “Let’s go hang out; let’s go play hoops or something.” But Prince replied: “I don’t talk to people.”

Pepé reflected: “How do you answer that? The weirdness was out there.”

Although he’d made some money from the 94 East recordings featuring the future star, Pepé insisted: “I never took a dime from Prince.”