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Prince cremated in private ceremony

Tributes have continued to pour in for the singer
Tributes have continued to pour in for the singer

Prince's friends and family have held a private memorial for the music superstar after his body was cremated.

The American musician died at his Paisley Park estate near Minneapolis on Thursday morning after he was found collapsed in a lift. He was 57.

A private ceremony celebrating his life was held at Paisley Park yesterday, attended by Prince's sister Tyka Nelson and brother-in-law Maurice Phillips.

Prince's publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said: "Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye."

She said that an announcement will be made at a future date for a musical celebration.

One woman who attended the memorial said: "It was actually a party. People danced and ate."

Flowers from inside Paisley Park were handed out afterwards to fans gathered outside the estate.

Prince was a Jehovah's Witness which required a funeral to take place within a week of his death.

He was found by staff members on Thursday morning, more than 12 hours after he was last seen alive when he was dropped off at Paisley Park.

Obituary: His name was Prince and he was funky

Police are investigating whether foul play was involved in his death after authorities said they had "no reason to believe" the Purple Rain star took his own life and there were "no obvious signs of trauma" on his body.

Tributes have continued to pour in for the singer, with Eric Clapton crediting Prince with helping him escape a "massive downward spiral with drink and drugs" after he saw Purple Rain.

Meanwhile, Will Smith revealed he was one of the last people to speak to Prince the night before his death.

Writing on Facebook, the actor said: "Jada & I mourn with all of you the loss of a beautiful poet, a true inspiration, and one of the most magnificent artists to ever grace this earth."

Hundreds of Prince fans gathered to watch his 1984 film Purple Rain on a large screen at Target Field Station in Minneapolis.

The screening, next to the baseball ground of the Minnesota Twins, saw people dance, applaud and sing along to hits from the film including Let's Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U and Purple Rain.

It came after some fans at Paisley Park were handed purple boxes containing a photo of Prince and a black T-shirt with 3121 printed on, the numbers referring to an album released by Prince in 2006.