Being 17 years old, when I mention that I know who the singer Prince was, people are surprised. When I mention that he is my favorite singer of all time, that I know many of his songs by heart, and I saw him in concert (he rarely toured in recent years), they are even more surprised and shocked. My parents surprised me with tickets for Christmas two years ago. However, everyone, even the younger generations, should listen to the classic pop and rock singers in the '80s, they are classic and timeless for a reason and a whole lot better and more meaningful than some of the new music that has been coming out today.
Very popular in the 1980's, Prince is most famous for his songs "Kiss," "Purple Rain," and "Raspberry Beret," probably songs millennials have no clue what they are, but would recognize them once they are on because their parents have played them so many times. He is a man of many talents, as he is a singer, songwriter, actor, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and is able to play multiple instruments well including guitar, bass guitar, drums, and keyboard.
He was also known for mentoring young artists and helping with their careers. At the concert I went to, I was easily the youngest person there, and when someone commented how nice it was that I came with my mom, I just laughed and said, "Actually she's here with me." After two encores, the lights came on and everyone was leaving when Prince suddenly came back to the stage and started playing. We found out later that a fan was injured outside the venue and needed emergency attention, so by coming back to play, Prince kept the area clear so the fan could receive care. I don't think many artists today would do that.
On April 26, 2016, Prince passed away in the late morning/early afternoon at his home, surprising the world as he was not very old or sick. On June 2, 2016, the official autopsy report was released, announcing that Prince's cause of death was an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a type of opiate, a very potent drug that is used as a pain reliever. Fentanyl has been blamed for an increase in accidental overdoses within the past couple of years. He was taking the drug unprescribed because of knee and hip problems from his many years of performing. Percocet, another type of opiate, was also found in the singer's system. It is rumored that Prince has been addicted to Percocet for decades, despite years of supposed clean living.
No matter what the circumstances around his death, the music industry lost an amazing inspiration.
