House where Prince once reigned sells in Beverly Hills

The only Los Angeles-area home that singer-songwriter Prince has ever owned recently changed hands in Beverly Hills for $5.5 million.

The perpetual renter’s onetime palace is a gated Italian-style compound. The main villa is set at the end of a long driveway on about three-quarters of an acre. Inside the two-story rotunda entry is a sweeping staircase.

French doors open the interiors to the outdoors. Unusual ceilings add drama in the master bedroom and family room.

Formal living and dining rooms, a two-story wine cellar, a wood-paneled library/office and a family room with a wet bar are within the 7,104 square feet of living space. Including the guest house, there are a total of five bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

Fireplaces grace the living and family rooms, the library and the master bedroom.

Prince, 56, sold the home in 1997 for $2.2 million. The property previously sold in 2003 for $2.855 million, public records show, and had been leased out three years ago at $21,500 a month.

The music megastar is among the bestselling artists of all time, with such hit albums as “Purple Rain.� He won an Oscar for the “Purple Rain� score and is a seven-time Grammy Award winner.

Joseph Babajian of Rodeo Realty and Nina Moshkovich of Nelson Shelton & Associates were the listing agents. Martine Zoller of Gussman Czako Estates represented the buyers.

Twitter: @LATHotProperty