'SNL' Says Goodbye To Prince With A Solemn Retrospective Of His Greatest Appearances

"Saturday Night Live" dedicated this weekend's episode to Prince only two days after the death of the beloved music icon. The episode was originally meant to be a repeat. But in the wake of the tremendous loss, the cast and crew came together to celebrate Prince's legacy and his many unforgettable moments on the "SNL" stage, in a special appropriately titled "Goodnight, Sweet Prince."

"Tonight Show" host and former "SNL" cast member Jimmy Fallon returned to host the special, opening the hour with touching remarks about Prince's everlasting impact on the late-night sketch series.

"Prince has been a special presence here at 'Saturday Night Live' for the last four decades, from his debut as a 22-year-old in 1981 to his surprise performance at the after-party for the 'SNL' 40th anniversary," Fallon said. "There was always something different about a Prince performance. It was special. It was an event."

The episode showcased Prince's many performances on "SNL" over his legendary career, starting with "Party Up" during his first appearance, "Electric Chair" for the show's 15th anniversary special in 1989, a 2006 performance of "Fury" and "Beautiful, Loved & Blessed" and his epic eight-minute medley from 2014.

Fallon also introduced a clip of an impromptu Prince performance from the show's 40th anniversary party in 2015. Describing it as "the most unbelievable night," Fallon recalled the star-studded bash, which boasted guests like Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and Miley Cyrus.

At one point during the after-party, Fallon heard Prince was in attendance, prompting the late night host to announce: "Prince, if you're in the room, I dare you to come up and sing something for us."

The crowd parted and Prince appeared from "a cloud of purple smoke," Fallon remembered. He proceeded to take the stage and "destroy" his classic song "Let's Go Crazy."

The rest of the episode consisted of a sampling of "SNL" sketches featuring Fred Armisen playing the late artist in the fake talk show "The Prince Show." Take a look at a particularly memorable installment featuring Maya Rudolph as co-host Beyonce and Shia LaBeouf as guest Tobey Maguire below.