Carmen Electra Files to Legally Change Name Decades After Prince Gave it to Her
Prince was the one who came up with Carmen Electra.
Jan. 9 2024, Published 6:41 p.m. ET
Carmen Electra is making it official! The Baywatch babe filed documents in a Los Angeles court to legally change her name to Carmen Electra.
In the documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the 51-year-old bombshell asked that she be given legal permission to change her birthname — Tara Leigh Patrick — to her stage name, which was given to her by the late singer Prince.
Carmen filed the legal documents to change her name in December.
While everyone knows her by the name already, Electra wants it recognized on her government documents and all the other important paperwork. The Scary Movie actress must be looking for a fresh beginning in the New Year because she filed the docs on December 29, 2023.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to her rep for comment.
Interestingly enough, Prince crowned her with the name in the '90s when she auditioned for a girl group the rock legend was putting together. While Electra didn't land the job, she gave Prince credit for launching her career and the catchy new name.
"I received a call from Prince saying I think you should be your own artist and not back up anyone else. I'm going to write you a song and if you like it, you can record it," she recalled in an interview with OWN.
Prince gave her the stage name in the '90s when she auditioned for a girl group he was putting together.
That's when Electra explained her name change.
"The name of the song was 'Carmen on Top.' My name is Tara, so I was confused. I loved the song," she stated. "I loved it, but he said, 'You're not a Tara. You're not Tara. You're Carmen.'"
Prince then transformed her into the Hollywood star that we know and love today.
"He controlled everything, but I loved that about him," she told E! News. "How I dressed, the music, hairstyles. He was genius at all that."
The pair dated in the '90s and Prince was allegedly thinking of popping the question.
The pair began dating and the Purple Rain singer allegedly thought about proposing.
"His brother once told me Prince was looking at rings when I was still in Minnesota and that he was going to propose to me. I was so excited and in love," Electra revealed. "One day, Prince asked me if I wanted to work or be a housewife. I said I want to work. I was only 19 or 20 and he ended up never asking me to marry him."
Like all good things, their relationship came to an end.
"I told him I wanted to live in LA and he spent as much time here as he did in Minnesota. He wanted me to move back to Minnesota and I said no. I broke it off with him and stayed in LA," she explained. "I gave up everything with him to live here and make my own career. It was a hard time. I ended up calling him and he hired me to dance at his club in LA. I made $90 a week. I wasn't his girlfriend anymore, but I was one of his girls. This was after we split," she disclosed about the breakup.
Her birth name is Tara but Prince didn't think it fit.
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Electra was crushed when she heard about Prince's death. The singer died of an accidental overdose in 2016.
"I'm in shock," she said about the news. "This is so sad."
"He always talked about life, not death. He was excited about music," Electra remembered. "But, back then he talked a lot about God, but not about religion. Prince was like a god. Maybe that's why I'm so shocked he's passed away."
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