This is the moment Prince's ashes were carried to a car and taken to their final resting place after the legendary musician was secretly cremated on Friday in a 'no fuss' funeral as per his wishes.
The star was found dead at his Minnesota home on Thursday, and his family quickly moved to carry out the simple funeral he demanded in the event of his death.
As Prince’s family gathered at his home this week, his brother-in-law revealed that the music icon had been awake for ‘154 hours straight’, or six-and-a-half days.
While fans flocked to his Paisley Park home and studio in Chanhassen, the star's body had been released to his family at around 1pm on Friday after a four-hour autopsy was completed at the Minnesota medical examiner's office.
The body arrived at the First Memorial Waterston Chapel by 2pm where just his sister Tyka, her son Prez and another family member were in attendance to say a final goodbye.
And these pictures, obtained by the Sunday Mirror, show the moment a casket containing Prince's ashes were carried out to a car under the cover of a black jacket and taken to his final resting place.
Maurice Phillips, who is married to Tyka Nelson, Prince’s sister, said that Prince had not slept in six-and-a-half days before he was found dead at his home, as previously reported by Dailymail.com.
‘He worked 154 hours straight,’ Phillips, 52, told fans who milled around outside Paisley Park, Prince’s compound and recording studio in Chanhassen, southwest of Minneapolis, Saturday.
‘I was with him just last weekend,’ he added. ’He was a good brother-in-law.’
Prince’s insomnia clashes with reports that he was taking high levels of Percocet, but in some cases, users of the drug have said it keeps them awake.
Because Prince is a Jehovah's Witness he had to have funeral services carried out within a week of his death.
And because of his faith, the singer made it clear to his family that he wanted to 'quiet service' and to 'die with dignity,' a family friend told the Mirror.
'He had very precise ideas about how he wanted his death to be handled and that didn't involve a huge funeral but a quiet service.
'He wanted it to be kept to the minimum of fuss. Prince was such figure you don't need a funeral to remember him by. He wanted to simply disappear with no fuss, no drama, no fanfare. It was just his style.'
The friend compared Prince's quiet ceremony to the pomp of Michael Jackson's funeral that was streamed live worldwide.
'It could not have been more different to Michael Jackson's service that was full of Hollywood razzmatazz,' the friend added.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that when a person dies, their existence completely stops.
This is because the Bible makes it clear that human beings do not have an immortal soul that survives when the body dies.
But death is not the end - they believe each person can be remembered by God and eventually resurrected.
The Jehovah's Witnesses funeral service is similar to other Christian faiths and usually takes place within a week after death.
But a day after Prince's body was cremated, his closest friends and family members gathered for a private memorial service at Paisely Park.
'Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved: family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye,' Prince publicist Anna Meacham said in a statement.
Meacham said Prince's remains have been cremated and their final resting place will remain private.
On Saturday, Graham stood at a gate of Paisley Park Studios and thanked some of the hundreds of fans gathered on the lawn outside to show their admiration of Prince, a seven-time Grammy winner whose music blended rock, jazz, funk, R&B, and disco.
'Prince made us all better musicians and spiritually is the most important thing, but as musician he pushed us and he made us better and we listened deeply,' Graham told the fans.
A sea of purple marked the occasion, with many guests opting to wear the star's favorite color as they celebrated his life.
Close friends such as Damaris Lewis, his former lover Sheila E, band member Hannah Welton and her husband Josh Welton and others were spotted entering the property around 2 pm.
They were greeted by security as they made their way into the studio for the service.
The Purple Rain hitmaker's ex-wife Mayte Garcia attended the memorial but was not pictured but it is not known if his other ex-wfie, Manuela Testolini was in attendance.
And at one point in the afternoon, extended family members including his only full sibling Tyka Nelson exited the studio to greet fans of the late rock star and to hand out memorabilia in purple gift boxes.
The boxes contained a t-shirt and were handed out to the crowds of people gathered outside his home and recording studio.
Arrangements of purple flowers and catered food were also delivered to the late legend's home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, earlier in the day before relatives and friends joined together for the intimate event.
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