I’m Crushed by the News of Prince’s Death

Prince was larger than life, a true superstar, a musician that was more than just someone I enjoyed listening to, but a musician and talent that I was in awe of.

I have dozens of amazing memories with nothing in common but Prince. Growing up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Prince was the center of the musical universe for me, hearing his new songs on KDWB or WLOL was always a moment when I would stop what I was doing and just listen to the radio and that distinctive Prince sound.

My mom worked near where he was filming 'Purple Rain' and she would come home and tell me that she spotted them filming again, I thought it was so cool that my mom saw Prince making a movie.

I remember going to my first concert at First Avenue in Minneapolis and not being as excited to see whatever band I was seeing at the time as I was to be in the place where Prince played and filmed Purple Rain and so many other classics.

I recall seeing him live a handful of times, and he was the best live performer I've ever seen, his musical talent was on full display each time and his presence on stage was mesmerizing. Wherever he was, Prince was always the coolest dude in the room, I was always loved that about him.

I was just listening to a Prince CD on my way into work this morning, crazy that he's gone and I'll never see him live again, it's a sad day for music and for the state of Minnesota.

RIP Prince