I, like many people who grew up in the '80s, -90s or early '00s, was shocked by the news of Prince's death. You could say we've become used to losing the legendary artists we grew up with after the losses of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, David Bowie and so on. The shock, though, will never stop. These are people who shaped our lives, even though we didn't know them personally, and they didn't know us.

What made Prince such a legend, though? Someone whose music will be played for the generations to come?

Prince was daring. Prince was someone who wanted onlookers to wonder and to dare them to think someone is not the stereotype they portray. Prince was one daring enough to sing so openly about sex, dress in women's clothing and make you second guess his intentions behind it all. He was even more daring when onlookers realized how religious the icon actually was. To him, his God wanted spirituality to accept sexuality in all forms.

At the age of 19, Prince Rogers Nelson arguably started the journey of developing the icon we have come to know and love when he signed with Warner Brothers Records. The journey, though, started at birth. He had that drive early on and taught himself dozens of instruments and educated himself on the music industry long before a record deal was in the picture.

Prince is most famously known for "Purple Rain," in film, album and song form. It was a box office hit and had successful record sales. This is far from something commonly achieved by musicians. Many musicians have tried to create successful films; Prince is one of the few to achieve that goal. It wasn't just Prince's recorded and filmed works that attracted fans but also his live performances. He brought extreme energy and emotion to the stage and wore extravagant outfits filled with high heels, leg warmers, studs, leather and lace. His band was filled with different races, genders and sexual orientations, truly showing an example of prime acceptance.

Prince defined his label by changing his name to a glyph. The symbol represented love and combined both the sign for male and female. No one knew how to say it or type it, and it became known as a power move. Another mark on his career would be his Super Bowl halftime show that changed the way people performed during it forever. His set was 12 minutes of medleys, a marching band and a storm. It was a performance to summarize an amazing career filled with countless performances like it.

Prince was planning on releasing a memoir titled "The Beautiful Ones" next fall. He also had been touring around the nation up until his sudden death. It is these things that make his death and other icons' deaths so hard for fans. Prince was still creating things and interacting with friends, family and fans up until this tragic event. News broke of his passing on April 21. He was 57. He is being remembered and cherished across the world.