Broadway Performs Moving Tributes to Prince

— -- The Broadway casts of "Hamilton" and "The Color Purple" each had a special encore last night: a tribute to Prince. The pop superstar died yesterday at his Paisley Park residence in Minnesota. He was 57.

“We lost a giant today,” "Hamilton" creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda said last night after the casts’ performance. “So today, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.”

As Miranda started speaking the lyrics to Prince’s song “Let’s go Crazy,” the audience burst into cheers and applause.

“'Cause in this life, things are much harder than in the after world. In this life, you're on your own. Rest in peace, Prince,” Miranda said ending his tribute.

The entire cast then danced to Prince’s song before leaving the stage. Miranda took to Twitter yesterday to pay homage to Prince.

"The Color Purple" cast had a solemn tribute to Prince, singing his iconic song “Purple Rain,” which won him an Oscar and two Grammy Awards in 1985.

The show’s star and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson asked the audience “to join us in honoring Prince. We want to keep him alive today.”

One of Hudson’s cast members, Cynthia Erivo, began singing the first verse and Hudson and the cast joined in on the chorus. People in the audience waved their hands in the air and the person recording the video can be heard saying “Simply amazing.”

Prince was a singer, songwriter, multiple instrumentalist, producer and actor. He was recognized as a musical genius and an advocate for artists’ rights.