I don’t want to give away my age, but in junior high, I was obsessed with Prince. I must have seen “Purple Rain” 10 times, listened to the soundtrack non-stop, and even started wearing purple clothes and lace gloves. Hey, don’t judge me!

Somehow, Prince has aged since then. The funky pop singer is now 46, and all those years of sexy dancing have taken a toll on his body – specifically, his hips.

Reports surfaced about a year ago that decades of dancing in those high heels the ladies love caused serious damage to one of his hips and that he needs a replacement. That’s a pretty big deal considering that Prince’s stage show has long been a James Brown-styled affair, full of spins, splits and bumping and grinding against pianos, microphone stands, and other inanimate objects. It’s pretty tough to do those things with a bad wheel.

[From ESPN News]

Now, Prince is going to have the hip replaced in a major surgery so he can avoid walking with a limp and a cane. Because that would not be funky.

Pop legend Prince is having a secret HIP REPLACEMENT at the age of just 49—after being crippled by years of sexy dancing.

The pint-sized US star would develop a severe limp and have to use a WALKING STICK without surgery.

So he is booking himself into a private hospital. Aides are keeping his diary clear for two months to recover—but they’re not letting on why he cannot work in that time.

During the two-hour op—more common for OAPs—the Purple Rain singer will have the ball and socket of his damaged hip taken out and titanium replacements cemented in.

A source said: “For months Prince has complained of pain every time he moves.

“He is totally crushed as he knows he will never be the same again.”

[From News of the World]

I hope the surgery goes well and we see Prince back to doing splits, grinding and spinning very soon. And as a long time fan, I don’t even mind if he does it without the high heels. As long as he’s not wearing, you know, Crocs or something.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Prince is shown performing at London Fashion week on 9/19/07, thanks to PRPhotos.