Prince Dead – Fans Devastated

April 21st, 2016 is the day the music died.  The life of a legendary artist through the eyes of the people he touched over a 40 year career.  The fans.

You can read hundreds of stories about Prince being found dead Thursday morning at his home in Minneapolis.  You can read a hundred more telling you he was nominated for 32 Grammys, won 7 Grammys, won an Oscar...blah blah blah.

The reason I, and countless others are overwhelmed by the loss of a man we've never met has nothing to do with accolades.  The reason is far deeper than fame or "Diamonds and Pearls."

A few Prince fans shared their thoughts with us on FaceBook.  Tangie Ja'Niece Mix of Chicago, IL said it better than I can,

My eldest sister, Vickie Murray Thompson, introduced me to Prince Rogers Nelson in 1978 when I was 10 years old. From that moment to this most sad moment this man and his music has been the soundtrack to my life. I was a Prince fanatic long before Purple Rain and have loved every thing Prince. For me Prince is /was music, therefore I can not begin to even express how broken I am at his death. My love affair of 38 years has not ended, it has just been altered. The Purple Yoda will forever be the greatest musical genius to ever live. There will never be another like him with such influence, talent and consciousness. I am looking forward to hearing the gems hidden in his musical vault.

Susan Howard from Independence, KY remembers the good times in this memory,

New Year's Eve 1999 right before Y2K. I was dancing in the club in Cincinnati Oh with my high school girlfriends to 1999 by Prince of course on continuous repeat. I was drinking amaretto sour's before I was old enough to drink obviously and I thought if the world was going to explode at midnight on Y2K I might as well be dancing and listening to Prince!

Kenya Wade is a HUGE Prince fan and Facebook friend of mine from Dayton, OH.  She shared these thoughts,

YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW HOW THIS MAN HAS IMPACTED MY WHOLE LIFE....
I HAVE BEEN IN ABSOLUTE LOVE WITH HIM SINCE I WAS 5 YEARS OLD! I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE BEEN TO MANY SHOWS & AFTER PARTIES! I HAVE BEEN LESS THAN 20 FEET AWAY AND BEEN IN AWE OF HOW PERFECT HE WAS! HE WAS PERFECT TO ME! I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE ENJOYED HIM!

Ingrid Chavez co-starred with Prince in the movie Graffiti Bridge.  She shared her thoughts with me on Facebook.  It's short and sweet and I can almost hear it in her soft voice,

U gave me wings &songs 2sing. I'm eternally grateful. Its springtime in heaven where your light will 4ever shine.

 

My sister Vikki is the person that got me hooked on Prince at the young, impressionable age of 12.  This is what she had to say,

I can remember hearing Prince for the first time at Midway High School...Yolanda & Veta met me in the band room to teach me a couple of dances so that I wouldn't make a butt of myself at the school dance the following week. Then after moving to Alabama, I first watched the movie "Purple Rain" at Denise Kelsoe Woodard's house, we rented it & watched it over & over again, I was hooked. Lynn Curtis Thrasher & I spent many hours in the front yard, boombox blaring the Purple Rain soundtrack, dancing our butts off, getting yelled at by our Moms for shaking our goodies where the boys could see...um, wasn't that the point? lol
Prince's music became the soundtrack to many stories in my life...love, loss, adventure, trouble, joy, depression, many firsts, some lasts....a piece of my purple heart is broken today. But the memories and the music live on.

Toni Clemens Denham of Kansas City, MO put it very well,

No words come to mind. I'm devastated. Distraught.

Christine Silberberg, an English Teacher in New York City had this to say,

Listening to ‪#‎Prince‬ with Jenn Lynn , Vanessa Landberg, and our juniors and seniors in honor of the purple one; he unites us all...

 

Prince is no stranger to foreshadowing.  In fact, his song "Sometimes it Snows in April" is about losing a loved one in April.  That song played during Prince's death scene in the movie "Under The Cherry Moon."

By the way, "Sometimes it Snows In April" was recorded on April 21st 1985.

We'll do a special tribute to Prince on the Morning Mayhem Friday Morning.  Big Prince fan?  Let us know how the Purple Yoda impacted your life.  Write your comments on our FaceBook Wall and we'll talk about them on-air.

Then Friday's Retro Lunch will be ALL Prince.  Have a Prince request?  Write it on our Facebook Wall or Tweet it to us.