Prince died on Thursday, April 21st, 2016 at his compound, Paisley Park, which functioned as his home and recording studio. Prince Rogers Nelson was only 57 at the time of his death earlier this week.
Prince was one of the most influential and well known artists of all time. He was able to play at least 27 different instruments. He has 39 studio albums, 13 that have gone platinum and eight that have gone gold. One of his albums was "Batman," which was the soundtrack for the 1989 film. He has written, acted in, and directed movies. He also wrote songs for many other famous artists, the most notable of which includes “Nothing Compares to You,” which is performed by Sinead O’Connor and “Manic Monday” by The Bangles.
There is no denying Prince’s fame or talent. I have never met a person who did not like his music. Love for his music was universal and brought people together. In over 30 years of making and performing music, Prince never became irrelevant. It would not be a stretch to say that the entire country is mourning his death. Celebrities from Katy Perry to Mike Tyson have tweeted about him; even the NASA Twitter account posted a memorial to him.
I, personally, have been a Prince fan my entire life. My parents were both die-hard fans and I was raised on the music. The first time I watched "Purple Rain," I was only four years old. In my early school days, my parents once received a phone call because my sister and I sung “P-Control” by Prince at school. You can google what the “P” stands for. When I heard of his death at school, I went to my car and listened to my "Purple Rain" cassette tape, the only tape I have for my tape deck.
Prince was my dad’s favorite musician of all time. Since my dad died in 2011, listening to Prince was a way to feel closer to my dad. I inherited many of the vinyls from my dad, including "1999," "Purple Rain," and his self-titled album. The passing of Prince feels like losing more of my dad. I feel like I am still trying to come to terms with his death and I’m sure many other people feel the same way.
Prince was an icon and a legend. Let us never allow him to become irrelevant. Ensure that his music is played for years to come and future generations are familiar with him. Prince was amazing and his music was incredible and timeless. His death left an empty spot in the world, and we should fill it by celebrating his music and talent. "Party like it’s 1999" and remember "there's something else ... the afterworld."
