Learning of the passing of Prince hit me hard. I pride myself on being vastly empathetic, but with this comes a lot of emotional turmoil. The subject of death always makes me emotional and thoughtful, but there have only been a few famous deaths that have brought me to full on tears. Michael Jackson. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Robin Williams. And now with a heavy heart, Prince.

Prince was a visionary who meant so much to me. He lived so unapologetically and freely. To be so unapologetically yourself in a world with so much judgement was so beautiful to see. He redefined gender roles and proved that there is no one way to be a man. He was proof that you could be super religious without excluding others. He was proud of his blackness and was a voice for the African American community and communities around the world. He was a rock star who made music for any and every one. Jamming to “Little Red Corvette” in the morning made me feel so sexy and ready for the day. Prince was sexy. He defined the word and became the embodiment of it in every sense. He was electric, eccentric, virtuosic, and played nearly every instrument on his albums, in addition to writing and producing them all. His talent knew no bounds.

Prince taught me to always be myself. He showed the world that when you love yourself so unapologetically, beautiful things happen. Our time on this earth is so limited and you can live the most fascinating life if you are creative, open, honest, kind and warm. He taught me to rebel against norms and exploitation and to not place any value on other’s opinions of myself and not let anyone compromise who I am. He taught me to question everything and not to settle for anything. His thinking was, “Why can’t we do it a different way? Why can’t we do it better?”

Prince didn't think he was more fascinating than anyone and didn’t consider himself to be better than anyone else. He was better, though. The world won’t see another like him. My heart aches for the loss of this revolutionary force and I will miss him forever. Prince was someone I always wanted to meet and thank for all the lessons and confidence he’s instilled in me. I won’t ever get that chance, but I will always have his vast catalog of immortal work.