The legendary Bruce Springsteen paid his respects to the deceased icon Prince last night, with a truly emotional version of 'Purple Rain.'

Bathed in purple rays on the stage, The Boss opened his Brooklyn concert with the 1984 single, while E Street band guitarist Nils Lofgren, competently managed the guitar solos to the sustained chants in the crowd.

Both Prince and Springsteen first rose to prominence at the same time when their respective singles 'Purple Rain' and 'Born In The USA' were released within weeks of each other in 1984. The pair never collaborated but Springsteen still allocated space in his set list last night to make the lovely gesture to Prince.

"Prince forever, God bless!" Springsteen roared towards the end of the song.

Lamentably, this is the third time that the E Street band have honoured the death of a famous musician in 2016 after performing David Bowie's 'Rebel Rebel' and Glenn Frey's 'Take It Easy' earlier in the year.

Backstage at @barclayscenter, @StevieVanZandt goes 2 the videotape 2 get “Purple Rain” right. #TheRiverTourBrooklyn pic.twitter.com/lTZdA33cJi

— Backstreets Magazine (@backstreetsmag) April 24, 2016