Musician Jill Jones has spoken exclusively to the Mirror about her complex and often turbulent relationship with music legend Prince, shedding light on both the love and the violence that defined their time together. In a candid interview, she describes Prince as "loveable, adorable, but he could be hateful too."
A Shelved Documentary and Unheard Testimony
Jones had agreed to share her memories for a new Netflix documentary directed by Oscar-winner Ezra Edelman. However, the entire series was dramatically shelved after Prince's estate argued it would cause "generational harm" to his image. Jones found herself at the centre of controversy amid claims she had spoken about Prince violently attacking her.
Now, on the 10th anniversary of his death, Jones is ready to reveal what really happened. "My intention was to talk about the man as he is," she says. "He was loveable, adorable, but he could be hateful too."
The 1984 Assault
In 1984, Jones and a friend visited Prince at a hotel, where an argument erupted. Jealous after Prince kissed her friend, Jones slapped him. She claims Prince responded by punching her repeatedly in the face. Jones wanted to press charges but was warned against it by Prince's circle. Going to hospital was also out of the question for fear of leaks. "I was told I would ruin his career," she recalls. "They saw him as just money for them."
Later that year, the lucrative Purple Rain tour was set to commence. "Had I come forward...it wouldn't have happened," she says. "But basically, after that, we made up because I had a surgery and he gave me a ton of toys, and this is how the apology was: balloons, toys and candy." She adds, "It was really hard for us to not be around each other."
Years of Silence and Forgiveness
Jones wrestled for more than three decades over whether to open up about the incident. "I'd been holding on to it for so many years...I think, because I was waiting on an apology," she admits. "This is the craziest thing with domestic violence: you wait for an apology sometimes from someone that you love."
She contextualises the violence within the era, noting that Prince's own parents had a volatile relationship. "It was an era of time where men did knock around their wives," she says. "It was just something that happened." Of her own experience, she adds, "It took me years to maybe get over that. But I also forgive him for that, because he's just a product of a time."
Jones also recalls her reaction when Prince publicly defended singer Chris Brown after he assaulted Rihanna. "I heard that he had given advice to Chris Brown a little bit...and I was like, 'wow, he must have forgotten,'" she says.
Solidarity with Sinead O'Connor
Other women have made similar claims about Prince, including the late Sinead O'Connor, who alleged he attacked her at his Hollywood mansion. Jones, who did backing vocals for O'Connor, says she wishes she had spoken out in solidarity but wasn't ready. "I felt like a coward in so many ways, because I do feel like I should have been there to stand beside her," she says. "But then again, nobody wanted to hear. Nobody cared."
A Relationship Beyond Violence
Despite the assault, Jones insists their relationship cannot be reduced to that moment. She first met Prince in 1980 during his Dirty Mind tour when she was just 17 or 18, singing backing vocals for the opening act. "We met in the hallway...I gave him a lot of shade," she laughs. "From that moment on, it was electric."
Prince later invited her to sing on 1999, where she was credited as J.J. She appeared in his videos for 1999 and Little Red Corvette, and released her debut album via his label. Yet she often felt trapped. "My career wasn't heading anywhere," she says. "I was singing for everybody, and feeling very, very neglected."
Eventually, she walked away, FedExing back his jewelry. "The conversation wasn't great. It was flaming hot," she says. She moved to Europe to rebuild her life.
A Final Meeting Before His Death
A few weeks before Prince died, Jones saw him at an after-party. "His face just lit up," she recalls. "It was like slipping a glove right back on your hand." But she was unsettled by his appearance. "He was so thin and so little. I said, 'Oh my God. I hope we're not coming to his funeral next.'"
When news of his death broke, she was devastated. "It was devastating because I thought we were all at the point again where we were able to talk to each other now that we're all so much older."
The Shelved Documentary and Legacy
Jones remains frustrated that the documentary was shelved amid reports the estate found it "sensationalised." For her, the truth about Prince was never simple. "They want to keep him in a little bag...a little category," she says. "And they're actually making it more than what it was, because when you deprive people of knowing something, it eventually comes out."
