Pop superstar Prince has spoken out for the first time about his battle with epilepsy - crediting the seizure disorder with inspiring his eccentric musical persona.

The Purple Rain hitmaker was tortured by fits as a young boy, terrifying his mother and father who struggled to cope with how to care for him.

He tells PBS, "I've never spoken about this before but I was born epileptic. I used to have seizures when I was young. My mother and father didn't know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what little they had."

The pop star began picking up instruments as a means to escape his painful struggle, and credits a divine intervention with helping him get over the illness.

He adds, "Early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could... My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, 'Mom, I'm not going to be sick anymore,' and she said 'Why?' and I said 'Because an angel told me so.' Now, I don't remember saying it, that's just what she told me."