Prince Talks about His Struggle with Epilepsy

What prompted the flashy, eccentric persona that helped make Prince a king of the music world? The singer reveals he was compensating for a painful childhood struggle with epilepsy.

"I've never spoken about this before but I was born epileptic," the reclusive singer told PBS's Tavis Smiley in an interview Monday night. "I used to have seizures when I was young. My mother and father didn't know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what little they had."

Prince also cites divine intervention for helping him cope with his epilepsy. "My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore,' and she said 'Why?' and I said 'Because an angel told me so.' Now, I don't remember saying it, that's just what she told me."

But his struggle didn't end there. "From that point on, I've been having to deal with a lot of things, getting teased a lot in school," he said. "And early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could."

The singer, who is promoting his latest album, the three-disc set LotusFlow3r, concludes his two-part Tavis Smiley interview tonight.

Prince Books Four-Night Leno Gig

It's not U2, but "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" will get its own multiple dose of pop royalty this month.

Prince will perform on three consecutive nights on the NBC program as he girds for the release of a pair of new albums. The mini-residency will run March 25-27; he also plans to hit the "Tonight" stage May 28 for Leno's next-to-last night as host of the venerable talk show.

No word on whether the notoriously press-shy musician also will sit down for a chat.

The announcement comes the week after U2 did a five-night run on rival late-nighter "Late Show With David Letterman" in support of its new record. Prince's new albums, "Lotus Flower" and "MPLSound," will be available March 29 exclusively from Target. The $11.98 package will include an album by rookie artist Bria Velente.

Prince's "Tonight Show" performances apparently are part of a larger rollout for the CD package in Los Angeles. An e-mail Prince sent to fans and media this week read -- including the usual wacky spellings, grammar and such: "Purple Electricity. Calling all Purpleheadz: ready 2 get plugged in? From the 24th on, there will b a slew of NPG-related events happening around electric LAlaland. we don't want 2 give away all the details yet, but b prepared 2 get yo groove on, numerous ways 4 numerous days. We know $ is tite but the adventures will b worth ur while! Stay 2ned 2 this outtaspacestation."

Prince on Target

Here's a matchup we didn't see coming: rocker Prince and retail outlet Target.

On March 29th, the 80s megastar will release a three-disc CD which includes two new albums - LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND - and a third by new artist Bria Valente.

The set will cost just $11.98 and will only be available at Target stores and on their website.

"Prince has long been renowned as one of the world's most original and iconic musical artists," Target executive Mark Schindele told Billboard. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share his most recent work."

Prince joins artists like AC/DC and The Eagles who sold millions of CDs through exclusive deals with Wal-Mart. Most recently Christina Aguilera signed a deal to distribute her "Keeps Getting Better" greatest hits CD exclusively through Target.