TORONTO -- Pop superstar Prince, who died Thursday, had a special relationship with Toronto, the city where he once lived.

The notoriously private '80s icon married Toronto native Manuela Testolini in the early-to-mid 2000s and settled in the tony Bridle Path neighbourhood.

The pair divorced in July 2006, but the "Purple Rain" singer apparently never lost his affection for the city.

Among his final public appearances were back-to-back shows at Toronto's Sony Centre last month, surprise concerts announced just 48 hours earlier. He offered up fresh interpretations of hits culled from his long and varied career, as well as covers.

The performances were followed by an impromptu after-show at a downtown club.

"I love Toronto," he told The Canadian Press in 2004 after a wild two-hour concert in Jacksonville, Fla.

"It's cosmopolitan," he continued. "There's all sorts of different kinds of people everywhere you go in Toronto, there's all sorts of great music, great restaurants, great night spots that don't respond to a lot of American playlists and have playlists which I really dig. It's a real melting pot in every sense of the word."

It was during his time in Toronto that Prince recorded his critically acclaimed "Musicology."

The CD jacket features the diminutive funk master in front of the gleaming Toronto skyline at night, and includes at least one veiled reference to the street where he lived.

At the time, the funk, rock and R&B legend spoke of Canada's tendency to ignore the American recording industry.

"'Musicology' is the first record I've recorded in Toronto and I can really feel the difference. It has a completely unique sound that came from the total disregard for what's happening in American music, and for the workings of the American music industry. It doesn't sound like anything else that's out there right now," Prince said.

He was found dead Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. He was 57.

Toronto fans took to Twitter to express their shock and grief, with at least one indie rock station diverting from its format to launch a Prince marathon.

"RIP Prince. You were an icon," tweeted Julian Bachlow.

"Another legend gone, but he will be remembered forever," added Katie Scott.

One of Prince's earliest proteges was the Niagara Falls, Ont.-native Vanity, who fronted the '80s girl group Vanity 6. He wrote the band's hit "Nasty Girl."

The former model, whose legal name was Denise Matthews, was also originally cast as Prince's love interest in the film "Purple Rain" before it was taken over by Apollonia Kotero.

Matthews died in February at 57 while Prince was touring Australia. He dedicated several songs to her during a show, according to the Herald Sun newspaper.

One of his guitarists also hailed from Toronto: Donna Grantis of his backing band 3rdEyeGirl, who also played with New Power Generation.

During the time he resided in Toronto, Prince was occasionally spotted at local clubs and a Toronto Raptors game.