When Prince passed in April of this year, it not only left music fans in shock, it was also extremely melancholy for ‘Vette fans because like it or not, after the sensation of “Little Red Corvette,” the plastic Chevy and Prince were forever connected in the universe of cool.

For those old enough to remember, Prince hit the big time in 1982 with the song and rode it all the way to the top with the movie, soundtrack album and MTV vignettes of Appolonia running around damn near naked. It was scandalous at the time, but tame by today’s standards.

In fact, we recently attended a midnight showing of Purple Rain and it was hard not to giggle through the film.

Ironically, there was no Corvette in the film, just the diminutive genius cruising around on his purple,Japanese motorcycle.

The music is a different story with it sounding as good as ever. “Take Me With You” and “Purple Rain” sound posthumously poignant and powerful.

And then the music died. Prince faded into the “Purple Haze” and the world was left with their ears ringing.

Then came the hard part for Chevrolet. How does a business pay tribute to a recording artist that is indelibly linked to it’s product, without seeming like they’re chasing hearses or leveraging the event for financial gain?

Well, that tightrope act was successfully navigated by Detroit-based shop Commonwealth//McCann and they just received overall best ad for the year, as well as getting two additional awards at the Adcraft Club of Detroit.

The full-page print ad, which debuted in just six papers across the country, featured the tail end of a red 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window against a black background with, “Baby that was much too fast, 1958-2016.” A play on the lyrics in Prince’s 1982 song “Little Red Corvette.”

According to the Detroit News, “It’s close to a perfect ad. It’s simple. It’s pure. It’s beautiful,” said Michelle Rossow, executive director of Adcraft Club of Detroit and the Adcraft Foundation. “It was a fitting way for a brand to pay tribute to a global icon like Prince.”

The Prince tribute also snagged “Best of Awards” for print and social media. Rossow said she “wouldn’t be surprised” if the ad goes on to win several international awards.

“As long as Chevy’s been Chevy, it’s been linked to music,” she said. “The attachment to the music industry is part of their DNA.”

The awards are determined by an independent panel of 15 national and international judges from outside of Detroit. Nearly 600 ads were submitted for this year’s awards.

UPDATE – Prince left no will and it was only recently determined that his estate was worth $200 million dollars. For comparison Fidel Castro’s estate is estimated to $900 million.

The most interesting fact about all this is Prince’s fortune was made on record sales, and that ship sailed long ago thanks to Napster, Itunes, streaming services etc. The days when a pop star could generate million of dollars and rival a despots coffers faded along with Prince’s departure. RIP.