Since the news broke of the tragic passing of Prince, tributes have been pouring in from across the musical spectrum, including a number of country stars who have covered his music. But Kelly Clarkson beat everyone to the punch in August 2015, when she performed his signature song, "Purple Rain," during a concert in Prince's hometown of Minneapolis, Minn.

Clarkson likes to perform covers, and at each show she takes a request from fans for a cover song. At this particular gig in 2015, the original American Idol champion decided to honor a fan's request for a classic from a local boy made good, singing "Purple Rain" with the same kind of impassioned intensity that she brings to all of her vocal performances. Check out her impressive performance in the video above.

Prince's unexpected death on Thursday (April 21) at the age of 57 sent shock waves through the music industry and social media. Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Jake Owen, Clarkson's fellow Idol singer Kree Harrison and more have paid tribute to Prince with their own renditions of his classic songs, while many more have expressed their sorrow or shared stories about the iconic musician online.

Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott was actually in the studio giving an interview in support of her new gospel single when she got the news.

“There’s no one comparable to him,” she says. “He’s his own. He’s a symbol, for crying out loud. That’s a really, really sad loss to hear about … but thankfully, we have a lot of really incredible music that we will never have to not have.”

Watch: Hillary Scott Learns of Prince's Death

Country Artists React to Death of Prince

More From The New 96.1 WTSS