Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, aka Sheila E., an American singer and drummer, was briefly engaged to the late American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Prince in 1987. However, the couple never tied the knot.
The 66-year-old singer first met the late Prince Rogers at a concert in the late 1970s in San Francisco, where the couple traded their numbers and remained friends for years.
Sheila E. also contributed her vocals during Prince’s sixth album, Purple Rain, recording sessions. The couple’s relationship blossomed during Prince’s Purple Rain Tour when Sheila and her band opened for Prince’s tour.
Furthermore, Sheila joined Prince’s band to take a break from her solo music career, and together, they started the Sign O’ the Times Tour. As their relationship grew stronger, Prince and Sheilach other as their relationship grew stronger.
Sheila and Prince’s romance, which started on the Purple Rain Tour, led to their long-term relationship, which led to their engagement in 1987. Prince proposed to her in Europe while the band was playing Purple Rain in front of around 30,000 people on their Sign O’ Times Tour.
Despite an exciting love story and working on hundreds of unreleased songs together, the couple parted ways and ended their relationship nearly one year after their engagement.
The six-month-long Lovesexy Tour drifted Sheila E. and Prince apart
While the couple were dating, Prince also saw Wendy Melvoin’s twin sister Susannah, whom he dated from 1984-86, which was unknown to Sheila then.
Furthermore, in an interview, when asked how long the couple had been engaged, Sheila said that she and Prince had been together for so long that she didn’t know when they weren’t together. They loved each other, and Prince really did care about her.
However, Sheila E. and Prince’s relationship hit rock bottom during the 1988-89 Lovesexy Tour, and when things started changing, she decided to leave the band for good.
Sheila stated, “The new music he was writing didn’t feel right for me lyrically; it was not saying much, and I just didn’t want to be around him.” She added that it was the most brutal breakup she ever had because she had to break up with her best friend, which was like a divorce.
Though the couple broke up, they decided to remain friends and performed together occasionally. The couple played together for the last time in 2011 at the Forum in L.A.
After their breakup, Sheila was in a relationship with musician Carlos Santana. She also sparked rumors about having relationships with choreographer Catherine Vernice Glover and American vocalist Stacy Lattisaw.
However, Sheila E. is apparently single and hasn’t shared anything about her current relationship status.
Additional Information
- Sheila E. was born in Oakland, California, United States, on December 12, 1957, to Juanita Gardere and Pete Escovedo. Her mother worked in a dairy factory, and her father is a famous percussionist.
- She belongs to a mixed-ethnic group. Her mother is of Creole-French/African descent, and her father is Mexican-American.
- Sheila’s first recording debut was with jazz bassist Alphonso Johnson on Yesterday’s Dream 1976. She has released seven albums, including The Glamorous Life, Romance 1600, Sheila E., Sex Cymbal, Writes of Passage, Heaven, Icon, and Iconic.
