HIP-OP PRINCE

From the New York Post's "Page Six" column:

PRINCE'S penchant for platform shoes may be sending him to the operating room. The 5-foot-3 funkster has supposedly been told he needs hip replacement surgery at the unusually young age of 47. "He used to wear high-heeled boots every day and doctors told him that may have contributed to his condition," a source tells the National Enquirer. "Over the years, he has battered his body so much that his joints, especially his hips, are causing him a lot of discomfort." Prince, a Jehovah's Witness, is thought to be against having surgery because the religion does not allow blood transfusions. He's been prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs to help him cope. A rep for Prince could not be reached.