The death of Prince shocked me on Thursday. While I’m a writer of books, he was a great writer of songs.
I listened to his music so much in the 1980s. I memorized his songs like I did for my other favorites, Rick Springfield, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, and the list goes on.
The reality of Prince’s death
At first I thought the Facebook posts about Prince’s death was a hoax. Several times now people find something funny about posting about a celebrity’s death, but it’s not funny at all, not when the person is still alive and well.
But as the day rolled on, I realized the death was real this time.
Another one of my favorite singers from the 1980s was gone.
I’ve mourned the loss of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and David Bowie over the last few years. One by one the singers who dominated the 1980s are dying.
Sadness sinks in when I think about the fact that my generation won’t have many singers left.
While I didn’t relate to Prince’s song lyrics like I did Rick’s and Jon’s, Prince had a way of relating to his fans.
He was a very private person and kept to himself, but at the same time, he embraced all of us, no matter our race.
My memories of Prince
I was 15 years old when he released Purple Rain. I bought the record album and listened to it as much as I could on my small record player in my room. I hung posters of him on my walls and closet doors right along with Rick and Bon Jovi.
I bought the cassettes of Prince’s other 80s albums. All of which I still have as well as the record album.
I did see the movie Purple Rain back when it was released, but I haven’t seen it since then. I would love to see it again.
But I never saw him in concert. The closest I ever came to seeing him in concert was watching him on various award shows or on other shows.
Prince was a phenomenal performer. I loved watching him play guitar. He could play guitar like I have never seen anyone play and was often compared to Jimi Hendrix. I also loved watching him dance on stage.
Other fans remember Prince
On Friday and Saturday nights, Rowdy Ron had a tribute to Prince on his radio show. He played Prince songs all night both nights.
I didn’t listen to Rowdy Ron’s show on Friday, but I could tell on Saturday how Prince’s death was affecting him.
On Rowdy’s Facebook page, fans posted comments not only about things they had found on the Internet but comments about the songs Rowdy was playing.
This was a great thing for us to remember our memories of Prince.
I’ve also seen many posts from Facebook friends in my newsfeed. Some have posted memories, and others links to videos.
Last night I shared a video of Prince performing “Purple Rain” during the 2007 Superbowl. I remember this Superbowl really well.
The Indianapolis Colts, led by Peyton Manning, played against the Chicago Bears and won. Not only was Prince’s halftime show one of the best, but the Colts’ win, made this a Superbowl to remember.
I’m sad that Prince is gone, but I’m sure Heaven is beginning to really rock with the likes of Michael, Whitney, David, and all of the others who have gone before Prince.