Church's tribute to Prince goes viral

TULSA, Okla. - A Tulsa church's tribute to Prince is going viral.

When University United Methodist Church Reverend Nathan Mattox heard the news of the music legend's death, he decided he needed to pay tribute to the superstar.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called ‘life,’ ” the marquee sign outside the church stated. “RIP Prince.”



The church then shared a photo of the sign on Facebook, which quickly went viral.

Mattox told the Tulsa World that Prince has "always been one of my favorites."

“I used to be a DJ in college, and I don’t think I ever let a party go by without dropping ‘Kiss’ or something, at least,” Mattox said.

The lyrics from the beginning of "Let's Go Crazy" were a perfect fit for the sign, Mattox told BuzzFeed News.

“We just hope that the quote might signal to the broader community what we hope to do as a church — not be judgmental know-it-alls, but instead a community of people ‘gathered to get through this thing called life,’” Mattox said. “Simple words from a beautiful person — what the church is always seeking to publicize.”

Since posting the photo to Facebook, it has been shared more than 11,000 times.