Prince's former girlfriend Jill Jones has alleged that the late singer 'punched her over and over' in the face, recounting the incident in a new interview. Jones, 63, spoke about the abuse she claims to have suffered from the musical icon, who died in 2016 from an accidental fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota, at age 57.
The Alleged Incident
According to Jones, the violence occurred in 1984 after she slapped Prince for kissing her friend. She claims he responded by punching her repeatedly, shouting, 'B****, this ain't no [expletive] movie.' Jones wanted to press charges but was warned that doing so would 'ruin' Prince's career, just months before his Purple Rain tour.
She told The Mirror: 'Had I come forward…it wouldn't have happened. 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.'
Their Relationship
Jones and Prince also had a professional relationship; she served as his backing vocalist in the 1980s and collaborated on various projects, including her self-titled debut album in 1987. Despite the violence, Jones remained in Prince's life for several years, explaining, 'It was really hard for us to not be around each other. He always thought I would be there. He would always say: 'I'm always gonna know you.'''
The Shelved Netflix Documentary
Jones had shared her experiences with Prince for a nine-hour Netflix documentary directed by Ezra Edelman, which was ultimately blocked from release by Prince's estate. The estate and Netflix reached a mutual agreement to instead develop a new film focusing on Prince's legacy. In a statement, they said, 'The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that will allow the estate to develop and produce a new documentary featuring exclusive content from Prince's archive.'
The original documentary included interviews with over 70 people and covered allegations of physical and emotional abuse, as well as Prince's difficult childhood and the loss of his son. Edelman told the New York Times, 'How can you tell the truth about someone who, when you're talking to people, they all had different things to say? How can you tell the truth about someone who never told the truth about himself?'
Jones addressed her involvement, saying, 'My intention was to talk about the man as he is. He was loveable, adorable, but he could be hateful too.' She added that she had been 'holding onto it' for many years 'waiting on an apology' from Prince.
Another former lover, Susannah Melvoin, reportedly said in the documentary that Prince told her not to leave the house and monitored her calls to keep her away from her sister. The estate's attorney, L. Londell McMillan, provided 17 pages of notes demanding changes after seeing an edit of the film. Edelman agreed to some suggestions but refused others.
