Bruno Mars, The Time pay tribute to Prince at Grammys

Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Bruno Mars and band The Time lit up the stage Sunday to pay tribute to late music icon Prince at the 59th annual Grammy Awards.

"The sky is purple and the First Avenue Club is sold out, but you have tickets to the hottest show on the planet," Grammy host James Corden announced as The Time took the stage to perform Purple Rain hits "Jungle Love" and "The Bird."

Mars then entered donning Prince's signature sparkling purple suit with an equally funky electric guitar to perform a rendition of "Let's Go Crazy" that included a guitar solo from the pop star.

"Make some noise for Prince, y'all," Mars said as he exited the stage, receiving a standing ovation. The 31-year-old was on hand earlier in the night to perform his song "That's What I Like."

The Time, which was formed by Prince in the '80s, consisted of singers Morris Day and Jerome Benton, guitarist Jesse Johnson, drummer Jellybean Johnson, keyboardists Monte Moir and Jimmy Jam and bassist Terry Lewis.

"Bruno ripped it up," Day said while speaking with reporters. "I don't think there's another artist who could pull it off as perfectly with us," he continued. Jimmy Jam interjected, stating, "We still kicked his [expletive].

Prince died on April 21 from an accidental overdose.