The date: January 3rd, 1997 The place: studio 1A in Rockefeller Center It was Bryant Gumbel's last day as co-host of The Today Show , and a cute-as-a-button Katie Couric wanted to send her coworker off memorably. So, as Matt Lauer, his hair and Al Roker watched, Couric recapped Gumble's sit-down with “the artist formerly known as Prince.” Then, Prince came on to the stage, dressed almost exactly like Gumbel, who was floored to see his favorite musician. Prince shook Gumbel's hand and made his way to the stage, where he performed a medley of his hits (and even rewrote a few words so that his biggest fan would get a mention). Prince died thid morning at his Minnesota home at the age of 57. He was hospitalized last week with the flu, but no cause of death has been released yet. The Associated Press tweeted that he had been touring and recording up until his untimely death, releasing four albums in the last 18 months. Stars paid tribute to the iconic musician via social media, including Justin Timberlake, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Billy Idol. “I miss my brother. Prince was a funny cat. great sense of humor,” Lee wrote. Watch the video below, it's pretty incredible.
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Prince: Watch Him Surprise Today Co-Host Bryant Gumbel
