By Misty Beck

On April 21, 2016 the world lost musical genius and icon Prince Rogers Nelson. He was just 57 years old. Prince’s death shocked the press and his adoring fans. The news of his passing sparked several impromptu city parties like the one thrown by Spike Lee in New York. We saw monuments, city skylines, bridges, airports, stadiums, and government buildings light up purple all around the world for our precious Prince. Surely he saw the earths love from way up there in the Heavens and Stars.

Let me tell you a little about Prince and I. We loved each other very much and some of his most notable songs were written just for me.

I was his Lady Cab Driver, though at the time I was only 12 and wouldn’t drive for another five years. I may have been the one in the Little Red Corvette as well. I can honestly say that I boarded that international flight on the same 1999 album. I never left my room, yet he truly took me all around the world, and yes I was a good girl. Later in 1984, I was his Darling Nikki, the one he would die for, and the one he never wanted to cause any sorrow or pain. On April 21st he unfortunately caused many of us sorrow and pain. I’m just glad I spent so many years laughing and dancing in the Purple Rain.

Obviously I’m being fatuous, however I’m certain there are many who were and still are moved by his lyrics and contagious music that they got just as lost as I and felt as if he penned a track just for you. I’m writing about Prince’s death with a heavy heart so a little old school girl crush memories are my attempt at adding a tidbit of humor to this very unfortunate death of a legend.

It’s been really difficult at times to wrap my head around his sudden passing. I wonder how many of us just don’t see things adding up right. I’m not going to get into the Illuminati stories or the Prince was murdered theory. I don’t even want to suggest he took his own life, because honestly I have no idea what really happened surrounding his death. I do know that he apparently overdosed on Fentanyl. A couple of my friends are still struggling with the notion that this was the all familiar celebrity drug overdose. Look history shows that most celebrity overdoses are caused by several drugs and many doctors prescribing the medications. For instance, Marilyn Monroe had a combo of barbiturates and amphetamine. Elvis reportedly had eleven drugs in his system, and Whitney also had several drugs though cocaine was the primary drug that caused her death. Let’s not forget Michael…All of which not only had a cocktail of drugs, but also a history of drug abuse.

Prince was never in the media for things like being stoned or having a terrible performance because he was belligerent or seemed high. His shows were flawless from the beginning to the after shows that at times would go on after the break of dawn. I witnessed many of his performances and there was rarely even a glitch in anything on that stage. I can’t recall him cancelling any tours or displaying any behavior that is common with not just performers on drugs but people in general. Someone in the public eye can’t usually hide a drug habit so bad that it eventually ends your life.

I’m not saying he didn’t die of a drug overdose. I’m implying that there may be more to his death than what’s been reported. Perhaps there was another health issue which Prince never disclosed, why would he? I saw some tabloid claims immediately following his death where they wrote that he had HIV and took his own life so that his fans and friends wouldn’t know. That didn’t feel like it fit although I suppose some could say his lifestyle in the 1980’s and early 90’s could be a factor, but hey Prince was notoriously private so how could you speculate that his lifestyle was hazardous or he didn’t practice safe sex? Him and I certainly always did except for that one time he wrote me that song Damn U…

On a serious note Prince really didn’t publicly display any characteristics of a person on drugs. I believe it’s possible he had some other issues like the bad hips that made him need something to deal with the pain. I guess Prince’s death is as mysterious to me as his life was. It’s actually really ironic.

In closing I just want to say that I’m thankful for all the music he gave us and the performances I experienced. I am a fan for life. There is no other artist like Prince. He isn’t any genre of music. He is just music…

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