Hey folks - trying to provide a single place to track all these Prince tributes coming out. I'll be updating this post but could use some help :) We'll be compiling this into a living document.

Rules:

1. Put the person(s) or group(s) giving the tribute in the subject line. If more than one name, separate by commas. You can add a brief description the title after a colon.
2. First line of post body should be a link to the original location of tribute (youtube video / article link / etc)
3. Rest of body is to editorialize.

Discuss the post itself under the "meta" post.

*** Note that I may edit posts in here for correctness or style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSOH4RvkiJE

Nothing Compares 2 U

Dope, and I don't really know much about this guy except he's country and he's big right now. He kills it.

If that's the case 15's story about DJing for him shouldn't be here.

This could just be a cool repository of all the great Prince stories that are floating out there.

BTW, why the distinction between tributes and just covers?

I guess the general question is this about Prince's life or aftermath of his death?

I was thinking of doing something similar on tumblr but really a site like this should do it to get traction.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

Yeah I'd like this post to focus on tracking the fast moving stream of new tributes and stories which people were afraid to tell before.

But you're right, we should be collecting it all. Perhaps as a second post if you'd like to run it?

stuff was flying by so fast on my twitter stream and there was wild stuff i thought about clicking but ain't have time and knew i'd never find.

side note: good test drive for firing up the old scripts. i'm thinking eventually you'll do it up a la ?uestlove stories?

even in this format its very useful.

thanks.

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uzBHhPEWpE
Sometimes it snows in april

sometimes it snows in april - d'angelo (feat. princess)

the tonight show with jimmy fallon.

got me in the heart strings, got grandma in the hospital not looking good right now and this just let them feelings go.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/questlove-remembers-prince-in-this-life-youre-on-your-own-20160425

http://www.vibe.com/2016/04/erykah-badu-prince-poem

Erykah Badu’s Heartfelt Poem To Prince Will Only Make You Cry Even More

Shenequa Golding @GoldingGirl617 | April 22, 2016 - 8:00 am


The news of Prince’s passing hasn’t gotten any easier for fans to digest. While his autopsy is reportedly scheduled for today (April 22) it’s safe to say the loss of such a music icon is too great and to devastating to accept.

Artists such as Questlove, Talib Kweli and others have all come forward to express their shock and grief. President Barack Obama issued a statement, and Will Smith took to Facebook Thursday (April 21) in complete disbelief as he wrote in a post he spoke with the Purple One the night before his untimely death.

And while music and the world has no doubt lost a legend, Ms. Erykah Badu –who had a close relationship with the late artist–took to Facebook to write an honest and heartfelt poem about their musical kinship. Everything from the time he told her that her third album Worldwide Underground wasn’t finished, and how down-to-earth he was to come to a “hood club in South Dallas” to play guitar.

Do ensure your Kleenex is on hand because this poem doesn’t make Prince’s death any easier.



That time Prince was your rhythm guitarist
then sent you the picture.
The time Prince was so gracious to come to your club in the hood of South Dallas and play for 4 hours into the night...
The time you recorded "Today -the earth song"
at Paisley Park.
All the times y'all shot pool and argued over religion.
The time Prince got in your Lemo to tell you that 'World Wide Underground ' wasn't finished yet and you 'felt a way'. Lol
The time Prince "evolved " and wouldn't sign yo mama's 'Dirty Mind' album cover cause he said he wasn't into that no mo and yo mama told him
"well you shouldn't have made it then" and you were embarrassed.
The time Prince had a "swear jar" and you just put a 20 dollar bill in it when you walk in.
The time Prince and Larry Grahm had you cornered in a Jehova's Witness...well, witness session.
The time you presented Prince with the ICON Billboard AWARD with 20 (Janell Monáe).
The time you sang "I wanna be your lover" on the 3rd grade talent show wearing a swim top and the teachers cut you short because it was "inappropriate".
The moment you remember how much he means to you...
You've been here all my life .
And You will live F O R E V E R in my cells.
Sometimes it snows in April?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/933621

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/exile-prince-tribute-ep-stream.html

Doves are crying far and wide, as we continue to mourn the loss of an icon. Today, Exile has turned in his own tribute to Prince with the three-track instrumental EP, Tears For A Prince. Flipping classics like “Erotic City,” “If I Was Your Girlfriend” and “Pop Life” into dizzying trap-touched constructions, perfect for the novice purple ear or one looking for a fresh spin on some time-tested joints. Along with the instrumentals, Exile has also put forth his own remembrance, which can be read in full down below along with the stream of Tears For A Prince. Read through for a touching note on the eternal glow of Prince and be sure to stay tuned as the tributes keep coming in.

“I woke up April 21st to the news of Prince’s passing. Before I could fully digest the news I receive numerous text from friends about his passing and how I should honor his passing with making music with Prince samples, in honor. I thought to myself I’m not going to do that, I’m not going to ride Prince’s legacy to gain fame. As time passed, drinks were sipped and again I’m asked the question “how are you going to respond, musically to his passing?” I went home faded, turned on the stereo and started banging Prince. As I’m listening I’m realizing all the emotion of mine that is stored in his music. I’m realizing how much of his music my mom would play loudly in the house. My mothers face happy as she would dance in the house. I mean she would be busting! Dancing like she’s in the club! She was good too! I began to cry and think about my own life, my mothers passing and princes passing as a symbol of this wonderful journey. A sign of the times of my own life to witness the death of my mother to know the the death of a prince that represents almost a farewell to a childhood that made the manhood of who I am now. The creativity I fight viciously for, and the inspiration I find along the way that keeps on track with the God energy means everything to me. All the summers that passed with this amazing inspiration, creativity and emotion that is Prince to me. I realized I have no choice but to honor his creative life by honoring my own by taking my good friends advice with these 3 simple beats and this hip hop I’ve been working on my whole life. This is what makes me happy. Inspiration turned to creation. With heart and with love.”

http://pitchfork.com/news/65010-donnie-trumpet-shares-prince-tribute-in-your-light-listen/

http://pitchfork.com/news/65066-coldplays-chris-martin-covers-princes-raspberry-beret-with-eighth-graders/

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/gotye-sometimes-it-snows-in-april-prince-tribute-mp3.html

No message

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/lcd-soundsystem-prince-controversy-live-coachella-video.html

http://pitchfork.com/news/64999-spike-lee-honors-prince-with-massive-brooklyn-block-party/

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/dangelo-venus-de-milo-prince-tribute-mp3.html

Singing Venus de Milo in the studio...

http://frankocean.tumblr.com/post/143175497681/im-not-even-gonna-say-rest-in-peace-because-its

https://youtu.be/y22jyze8IPs

Purple Rain live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcDHXoQmxu0

Purple Rain solo starts at 4:30, pretty cool and a little more imaginative than the straight covers by Bruce, etc had seen.

i luh me some david gilmour
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rosemary's babydaddy
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Caught him in Hollywood a few weeks back. Comfortably Numb was the closer.

Glad I got to see David before he stops touring for good.

https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonMusical/videos/1365251296835077/

Dancing to "Let's Go Crazy"

No message

https://youtu.be/EmkctxgJBt0

Singing "Purple Rain"

http://www.vulture.com/2016/04/new-girl-liz-meriwether-prince.html


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

http://boingboing.net/2016/04/25/listen-to-princes-personal-p.html

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

https://www.facebook.com/officialbrownmarkfanpage/videos/1178955885456579/
Reuniting a planning a tour.

https://www.facebook.com/DJPremierOfficial/videos/927534000701038

Live DJ set.

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/jimmy-fallon-on-getting-whooped-by-prince-in-ping-pong-20160426

I can't remember where I first heard it, but dude still looked legit upset about losing it because it was rare and signed if I recall.

everyone else just thought it was really funny which probably made it worse lol.

that guitar been through a lot...and Kirk just got it back from repairs and then Prince broke it again...

.

is the idea that he may have been really, really into sports. Not that that's unusual of course, but for a guy who usually wore "an outfit that a figure skater would wear" (c) Charlie Murphy...it's just funny to me.

Or just funny because he was this mythological character to us in so many ways, and yet in other ways he was just a normal dude. Which, ironically because of his persona, makes him somehow seem even weirder.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=6270915


Funny stuff.:

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7348358/george-clinton-prince-essay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LhcParuzpc

No message

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/04/22/van-jones-remembers-prince-lemon-intv-ctn.cnn/video/playlists/celebs-pay-tribute-to-prince/

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl/0ap3000000633788/Remembering-Prince-s-halftime-show

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2016/04/22/prince-dead-stevie-wonder-full-intv-ac-cooper.cnn.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF576If2U8o

I'm starting to think I've never given Bruce enough credit.

http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/04/pearl-jam-cover-purple-rain-in-tribute-to-prince-the-greatest-guitar-player-weve-ever-seen-watch/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w2lNpixqOc

When i first heard of this project, i bought the vinyl.. because, 'purple rain'

while it doesnt quite fit into the realm of these posts
i love the notion of music from the Niger desert set to this classic.
and the fact that there is this little corner of the desert (Agadez, Niger) where electric guitar reigns

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/02/purple-rain-in-the-saharan-desert/385234/

In 1984, Prince starred in Purple Rain, a decadent, semi-autobiographical rock opera that became a cult classic and the definitive expression of the mid-eighties musical sub-genre known as the Minneapolis Sound. Now, 31 years after the Purple One’s silver-screen debut, a remake of the film, set in the Saharan desert, may help do the same for a new sound emerging out of the region.

The film is called Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai—a Tuareg phrase that literally translates to “rain the color of blue with a little red in it” (the Tuareg are a semi-nomadic Berber group in North Africa, and their language, also known as Tamashek, has no word for the color purple). Rooted in the Nigerien city of Agadez, the film stars the self-taught guitarist Mdou Moctar as an enigmatic, motorcycle-riding, purple-robed musician trying to a make a name for himself in the city “where guitars are king.”


If the film sounds like a joke, that might be because it started as one: Christopher Kirkley, a Portland-born “guerrilla ethnomusicologist,” came up with the idea of a West African homage to Purple Rain while living in Mauritania and riffing on movie concepts with a Canadian expat.


“The idea just an extension of that out-of-placeness when living abroad in a foreign culture, of trying to see the familiar in the altogether foreign,” Kirkley told me by email.

But the idea became less of a joke as Kirkley got involved in the music scene in the Sahel, a semi-arid region stretching from Senegal in the west to Eritrea in the east. In 2009, Kirkley founded the blog-cum-record label Sahel Sounds and began collecting popular songs that people were trading through cell phone SIM cards and Bluetooth connections. He reissued the songs as part of an album series called Music From Saharan Cellphones. A Tuareg Purple Rain, he believed, could further promote the regional music scene.

“I liked the concept of a film that is a vehicle for an artist, utilizing elements from the artist's life to create a fictional, music-based film” Kirkley said, citing The Harder They Come, the Jamaican crime film that helped introduce the world to Jimmy Cliff as another example.


Akounak star Mdou Moctar performing a song on an acoustic guitar (Christopher Kirkley/Vimeo)
Akounak, which Kirkley claims is the world's first Tuareg-language fiction film, also has a secondary aim: entertaining Tuareg audiences and inspiring Tamashek-speaking filmmakers. According to Kirkley, the film industry in the Sahel is currently dominated by foreign imports, particularly Hausa-language films from Nigeria.

Akounak is a departure from documentaries about the Sahel and its music scene, which tend to focus on the turbulent political history of the Tuareg guitar style known as ishumar (a term derived from the French word chômeur, meaning "unemployed"). This “desert blues” guitar style, popularized internationally by Mali’s Tinariwen, is often discussed in the context of the marginalized youth groups that turned to armed rebellion during the Sahel's early post-colonial period.

While rebel militias and military coups are historical components of Tuareg music, Kirkley also wanted to convey what life is like for contemporary desert-blues musicians. Musicians are shown at work: performing at weddings, traveling across vast swathes of desert terrain, and recording songs on portable phones in a country where most citizens don't have access to computers.


Kirkley's approach to the film was informed, in part, by Italian neorealist directors and the French filmmaker Jean Rouch, and structured around quotidian routines and objects. Quoting a friend, Kirkley said his film is not “about Kalashnikovs, but cellphones, motorcycles, and guitars.”


Chrisopther Kirkley/Vimeo
One of the first challenges Kirkley confronted was finding a star who could carry the film—someone who had both the musical skills and the on-stage charisma to measure up to Purple Rain's original star.

“There are loads of Tuareg guitarists, but a lot of guitarists don't write their own songs, and we needed a real musician, a parallel to Prince," he explained.

While collecting songs in northern Mali, in the years before Islamist militants banned secular music in the region, Kirkley came across a couple of strange, auto-tuned folk songs, one called “Tahoultine” and another called “Anar.” Kirkley was so struck by the songs that he traveled to Niger to find the man who made them, Mdou Moctar. After connecting with the guitarist, the pair spent two weeks recording a raw-edged live album called Afelan. Kirkley had found his star.

Moctar "has a sense of humor, which is vital for trying to make a film in the low budget, chaotic way that we had to," Kirkley said, "but he's also an amazing guitarist with serious chops and a composer.”


Mdou Moctar and his band perform at a wedding in Tchintabaraden, Niger (Christopher Kirkley/YouTube)

Once Moctar was on board, Akounak was made quickly on a shoestring budget. Working with the French filmmaker Jerome Fino, Kirkley managed to shoot the entire film in just eight days.

Though Kirkley initially based the script on Purple Rain, Moctar and his friends ultimately adapted the story to better hew to their own lives.

“The actors constantly vetoed their lines and changed scenarios to create something that was more accurate, more culturally personally appropriate,” Kirkley said.

As a result, the alcoholic, wife-beating father character from Purple Rain is swapped for a pious Muslim who bans music in his household and burns Moctar’s guitar for the sake of his son’s soul (“only drug addicts and alcoholics play guitar,” the father declares). Instead of the protagonist ordering his lover to “purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka,” Moctar tries to woo his love interest by driving her into the middle of the desert and pretending that his motorcycle has run out of gas. And, instead of one-upping Morris Day in a showdown on First Avenue, the Tuareg six-stringer squares off against his real-life rival Kader Tanoutanoute at the Agadez branch of the Alliance Française, a French language and cultural center.


Mdou Moctar and his co-star Ghaicha Ibrahim, "stranded" together in the desert (Christopher Kirkley/Vimeo)
The final version of the film, which recently premiered in France and the United States, is gorgeously shot and, despite the largely amateur cast, surprisingly well-acted. Moctar's performance might be more muted than the notoriously flamboyant Purple One's, but he is nonetheless a commanding presence on screen, particularly when he has a guitar in hand. Still, there is a charming, ragtag quality to the film, an impression that's crystallized in its fumbling, long-winded title.

“We were going to change for the actual release, but everyone in Niger already knows it by the title.” Kirkley said, “And there's something poetic about it, something in the title that reflects our own attempt at cross-cultural translation.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocpq_2W360k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvr7CK8_Hc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2I6-DtTFSk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7TlFgj9jZ8

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ HEARTBREAKING.....

though he does introduce it with the wrong title.

https://twitter.com/itsthereal/status/725357952736043009

his Prince stories are right in the beginning of the episode. great story about Prince and Questlove and a time when some metal guy challenged Prince to guitar battle.

https://soundcloud.com/awasteoftime/50-kamaiyah

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

The link below didn't seem to be working too well so I've copied and pasted just in case.

https://www.facebook.com/CameoNation/?fref=ts

Larry Blackmon's Thoughts on the Passing of Prince:

People use the word genius and they throw it around, but Prince was a true genius. There are artists that I like to call “streamers,” people that bring to you their interpretation based on how it's coming to them, and Prince was a consistent streamer. His new material always had something to offer musically, and you would hear so much more in his music than from the average John Q. Michael Jackson's organization with Quincy Jones was like that, too.

Prince and myself were both honored to be mentioned in Miles Davis' autobiography. Miles gave a birthday party in New York on the east side in the '70s and we were both invited. We were all sitting at the table and a member of Miles Davis' entourage was very talkative, a little beyond what was necessary. Prince leaned over to me and said “Larry, I can't take much more of this, I'll see you guys later.” It was a little funnier than that, but that impressed me. He was a very private person. He wasn't very talkative, especially in an environment he wasn't familiar with, but he was always courteous. That was the last time we had that much time together. We would run into each other occasionally, and it was always a pleasure. He was a class act. When we had our encounters, it was always warm. We both felt like we belonged to a special club.

In turn, there were a lot of people from my organization that Prince would choose to work. They called it the CAMEO orientation. The most recent was John Blackwell who played drums for Prince from 2000 to 2012. Johnny would tell me that Prince used to yell at him and say “man, I need that Larry Blackmon funk on the damn drums!”

RIP His Purple Highness

this one kind of shocked me.. wasn't expecting it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC3PTlyPXW4

http://prince.org/msg/7/424142?pg=1

A tribute from Minister Louis Farrakhan
In everything that Allah (God) created, there are lessons to be learned. There is exquisite beauty in the flowers, in the rocks, in the birds, in the beasts, in the fish and this exquisite beauty that only comes from God says that Allah (God) is the Most Beautiful of those who have beauty.

All beauty is from Allah (God), who is the Author of Beauty.
The soul of the man that we know as Prince was beauty. The manifestation of his many gifts was a manifestation of beauty. The essence of his being, in the way Prince gave to others, serviced others through his gifts and skills was a thing of beauty. The creation of his songs, the majesty of their rhythms, the beauty of its content says something about the beauty of the man.
I never had the privilege of meeting this beautiful, unique human being.

When I had my first near death experience, I was in the hospital at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Prince came to see me, but I had lost so much weight and was looking so ill, some of those around me did not permit Prince to come and see me. Later, as we were organizing the Million Family March, Prince donated $50,000 to that effort. After writing him and thanking him for his gift, I tried to meet with my brother but unfortunately, I was unable to meet him.
From what I know of him, he was like a Pearl of Great Price, a Diamond of Matchless Beauty that everywhere the light struck him a color emitted from his being—thus the song Purple Rain became one of his great musical masterpieces. The movie, the song, the man.
I like you will miss Prince. I like you saw the Greatness in his Struggle just to gain ownership of his own name. I saw the Greatness of his Being, the courage that he had to fight for, not only his own image, his own likeness, and his own music masters but to fight for others who were not as blessed with the depth of love and the breadth of courage that he demonstrated.
As I think of my brother Prince, I think of Allah (God), the Essence of Beauty, planting that essence in him and then wrapping that essence in the flesh and the bones of the earth that speak to physical beauty through which we gained access to that essence which is the soul of the man that we called Prince. He has returned to Him who gave Prince to us and I like all who have admired him and loved him rejoice that a man like that came this way.

Though I am saddened over the fact that I will never physically meet him, we will always have him with us through the music that he gave us, the struggle that he made that taught us how we must stand up, fearless against that which is ugly in its injustice, its unrighteousness and its wickedness.

He loved his faith. He kept the faith and fought the good fight. The Essence of Beauty remains, the beautiful flesh that wrapped that essence from head to foot is gone from us, yet beauty in a man named Prince remains.

May Allah (God) bless his family, those closest to him that helped him make his music, those who helped him in any way; may we all be comforted in our loss. But may we be joyful in the Gift that Allah (God) gave to us and to the world, the Essence of Beauty in a man called Prince.

Source: Final Call Vo. 35 N0 30, ... a Prince"


(Did I do that right?)

https://www.facebook.com/MPRnews/videos/10153814408393591/

What did Prince mean to you?

U.S. Senate resolution honoring Prince passes

http://m.startribune.com/resolution-honoring-prince-passes-u-s-senate/377341711/


"Whereas Prince --

1. sold more than 100,000,000 records worldwide;

2. released 39 studio albums

3. had 5 No. 1 Billboard hits; and

4. had 40 singles in the top 100 songs

...

Resolved, That the Senate honors the life of Prince Rogers Nelson and his achievements as a musician, composer, innovator and a cultural icon."

>U.S. Senate resolution honoring Prince passes
>
>http://m.startribune.com/resolution-honoring-prince-passes-u-s-senate/377341711/
>
>
>"Whereas Prince --
>
>1. sold more than 100,000,000 records worldwide;
>
>2. released 39 studio albums
>
>3. had 5 No. 1 Billboard hits; and
>
>4. had 40 singles in the top 100 songs
>
>...
>
>Resolved, That the Senate honors the life of Prince Rogers
>Nelson and his achievements as a musician, composer, innovator
>and a cultural icon."


Wow....so crazy....dope...

https://mayorhodges.com/2016/04/21/prince/

For the residents of Minneapolis, the loss of Prince is too large to describe. His music brought untold joy to people all over the world. But in Minneapolis, it is different. It is harder here. Prince was a child of our city and his love of his hometown permeated many of his songs. Our pride in his accomplishments permeates our love of Minneapolis.

From his youth in the Minneapolis Public Schools, to his graduation from Central High School, to his breakthrough performance at the Capri on Broadway Avenue, to his world wide success, he was one of us. He gave us more opportunities to hear his music than anyone else. What a blessing. Only now may we realize how lucky we were.

His first album, For You (1978), showed his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, but we had no idea then that he would be such an incredibly prolific composer, usually putting out a new album every year as well as generously sharing his gifts and writing songs for others. In doing so, he lifted up other artists including The Time, Sheila E, The Family, Madhouse, Jill Jones and many others. Together they created “The Minneapolis Sound” that changed the course of music in the 1980s.

For many of us, we grew up with his music and it became an essential part of our youth and our growth. I will never ever forget the electricity I felt the first time I listened to the Purple Rain soundtrack – and many times since.

Prince was unapologetically different and he made it okay for his fans to be different and to celebrate their individuality. His social conscience challenged us to look deeper than the skin color of our neighbors. “Baltimore” challenges us today as much as “Sign o’ the Times” did in 1987. His voice was vital and will be missed.

Prince never left us and we never left him. We kept listening: Diamonds and Pearls, The Gold Experience, 3121, Art Official Age, so many more. How could one person produce so much beauty? To know that his latest, HITnRUN Phase Two, a great album, may be his last new work reminds us of the many more years he should have had with us.

Prince never left us and we never left him. In the days ahead, we will mourn Prince and will publicly honor his contributions. In the meantime, we have his music. And that will be with us forever.

Playing Prince songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjxOj_ZNaqE

Tracklist:

1. "Kiss"
2. "1999"
3. "Nothing Compares 2 U"
4. "When You Were Mine"

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lenny-kravitz-on-prince-i-feel-like-a-piece-of-me-died-20160427

https://www.facebook.com/DavidRyanHarris/videos/10153462469555286/

https://youtu.be/PmrJbeL-cXc?list=PLOixSdxnA7ecaQzWA1kV2uVSgyQUdf3Yw

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/arts/music/prince-guitar-rock-hall-of-fame.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

https://kpfa.org/episode/prince-tribute-dj-rickey-vincent/

http://petapixel.com/2016/04/28/shooting-prince-photo-story/

https://www.facebook.com/TylerPerry/?fref=nf

Doves are crying today.
About 12 years ago, I was playing the Kodak Theater in LA. I was on my way to the theater when my phone rang. I answered and heard a voice that almost made me wreck the car. The voice said, "I hear you're doing a bit of Purple Rain in your show. Do it again and I'm going to sue you... and I need 10 tickets and I'll be there tonight.” Click. I freaked out. PRINCE HAD CALLED ME!!!
So that night I waited at the backstage door for him to arrive. I was nervous and hoping he didn't get out of the car with 9 lawyers… lol. The limo pulls up and there he was. He got out smiling and laughing. I knew then he was joking (kinda). One of the first things he said was that he was a fan of mine. That blew me away. "Prince WHAT?” I thought. Can you say mind numbing?! Anyway, we chatted for a while, but time seemed to fly by. Soon enough, I had to get dressed and start the show.
During the play I would glance at him, and he seemed to be having an awesome time. Man! Prince was watching me perform!! And enjoying it!
Then we got to the part in the play where I had been doing a few lines of Purple Rain. I stopped and looked at him sitting in the audience. We made eye contact and he nodded to me. So, I queued the band to start playing Purple Rain and had someone bring Prince the microphone in the audience... BIG MISTAKE! He started to sing Purple Rain and the audience went CRAZY! I had never heard that kind of roar from a crowd before. 3400 people losing their minds!! He sang one verse and the audience was blown away. There was a standing ovation for him AT MY SHOW...lol. He was done singing and the audience wouldn't stop applauding him. I still had 20 minutes to go before MY show was over. I knew at that moment that I had just been educated by royalty!! The lesson: never give your microphone to a legend at your show!!! LOL
On the rare occasion that I had the privilege to spend some private time with him, I always knew I was in the presence of someone special, someone incredible, someone brilliant. Whether we were at the White House or standing in his kitchen talking, he was consistently an icon! Whether I was in a crowd of thousands watching him perform or one of the handful in his basement listening to him sing for hours, he was always consistent, always royal, always a legend, always Prince.
He gave us so much of his genius that it is impossible to forget that he walked this planet. And who would want to?
Thousands of years from now the world will still know that Prince was here.
Travel well my beautiful friend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvty4s0u0LY

Great story about her and Susan reuniting with him after many years

https://twitter.com/TheWho/status/723451979758854144

https://twitter.com/wbr/status/723388374225022977

https://www.facebook.com/bobmouldmusic/posts/10154098271900699

I never spoke with Prince. He always struck me as a private guy. Maybe he was shy around strangers. We never had much actual interaction – a couple nods in passing, but no real words were exchanged.
The Twin Cities of the 1980s was a very special time for all of us local musicians. There were the North Minneapolis R&B artists, the South Minneapolis guitar rock bands, and in the center of it all was First Avenue/7th Street Entry.
I've seen Prince perform sold out shows with The Revolution at First Ave, he and a rhythm section jamming as a guitar/bass/drums three piece in the Entry for 30 people, and was selfishly frustrated when he took over "the main room" for 25 days of filming Purple Rain.
I had the pleasure of spending seven days recording the basic tracks for my first solo album at Paisley Park in December 1988. It was the most professional studio I had ever seen at that point in my life. On the seventh day, I moved from the B room to Studio A, which was Prince's primary room. I remember seeing Sheila E's percussion in one of the isolation booths. The large control room was decorated with several of Prince's scarves. It certainly felt like Prince's home.
Prince was an artist through and through – always pushing himself to new levels, often creating controversy through his actions and words, and ultimately creating a lifetime of wonderful memories for the world with his incredible volumes of published (and unheard) works.
I heard the news while driving from Tomah WI to Minneapolis. I immediately flipped on The Current 89.3 FM to make sure what I was hearing was true. Sure enough, there was a live report from outside Paisley Park confirming the sad news of Prince's passing.
I'm two blocks from First Avenue as I write these words. Friday and Saturday nights, I will walk that same stage we all know from the movie. The exterior walls of First Avenue are covered with stars to honor the musicians who made an impact on music fans in Minnesota.
Make no mistake: Prince was the brightest star in these Northern skies. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow musicians. Prince's music will give consolation and comfort to the collective grief. Godspeed.

https://www.facebook.com/wendyandlisa/posts/10154184536088750

I'm completely shocked and devastated by the sudden loss of our brother, artist and friend, Prince. Thank you to all the fans and supporters for your endless love, and for making such big dreams come true. We offer our love, support, and condolences to our extended family, friends and all fans of our sweet Prince.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/purple-rain-director-talks-princes-weird-wonderful-masterpiece-20160429?page=3

https://www.facebook.com/groups/366116877599/permalink/10153792358912600/

https://www.facebook.com/HollyRPeete/videos/1009095759175358/

https://twitter.com/MacMiller/status/723192787810672640

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/purple-rain-is-a-hit-in-theaters-again-expanding-to-even-more-screens/

Last weekend’s theatrical run of Purple Rain was such a hit, AMC theaters have continued showing Prince‘s 1984 film in most of its theaters all week, and it will expand to 200 screens across the country starting Friday, April 29 (that’s more than double). In NYC, you can see Purple Rain at AMC 19th St East, the AMC Empire 25, and the Kips Bay 15. Showtimes and tickets are here.
Prince died suddenly at his Paisley Park estate one week ago. If you’d like to see Purple Rain for free, there’s a screening and dance party happening in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park on Friday. A full list of AMC theaters that will be showing Purple Rain beginning Friday is below.


Read More: ‘Purple Rain’ is a hit in theaters again, expanding to even more screens | http://www.brooklynvegan.com/purple-rain-is-a-hit-in-theaters-again-expanding-to-even-more-screens/?trackback=tsmclip

PURPLE RAIN SCREENING LOCATIONS (STARTING FRIDAY, APRIL 29)
Alabama
AMC Festival Plaza 16
Arizona
AMC Ahwatukee 24
AMC Arizona Center 24
AMC Westgate 20
California
AMC Atlantic Times Square 14
AMC Covina 17
AMC Mercado 20
AMC Metreon 16
AMC Mission Valley 20
AMC Norwalk 20
AMC Ontario Mills 30
AMC Orange 30
AMC Promenade 16
AMC Rolling Hills 20
AMC Tyler Galleria 16
Colorado
AMC Highlands Ranch 24
AMC Westminster Promenade 24
Connecticut
AMC Plainville 20
Florida
AMC Aventura 24
AMC Disney Springs 24 with Dine-in Theatres
AMC Indian River 24
AMC Regency 24
AMC Tallahassee 20
AMC Universal Cineplex 20 (Orlando)
AMC Veterans 24
AMC Woodlands Square 20
Georgia
AMC North DeKalb Mall 16
AMC Phipps Plaza 14
AMC Sugarloaf Mills 18
Illinois
AMC 600 North Michigan 9
AMC Showplace Naperville 16
AMC South Barrington 30
Indiana
AMC Indianapolis 17
AMC Showplace Schererville 16
Kansas
AMC Town Center 20
Kentucky
AMC Newport On The Levee 20
Louisana
AMC Baton Rouge 16
AMC Elmwood Palace 20
Maryland
AMC Loews White Marsh 16
AMC Magic Johnson Capital Center 12
Massachusetts
AMC Loews Boston Common 19
AMC Loews Liberty Tree Mall 20
AMC Methuen 20
Michigan
AMC Forum 30
AMC Star Great Lakes 25
Minnesota
AMC Arbor Lakes 16
AMC Coon Rapids 16
AMC Eden Prairie Mall 18
AMC Inver Grove 16
AMC Rosedale 14
AMC Southdale 16
Missouri
AMC Barrywoods 24
AMC Chesterfield 14
AMC Dine-in Theatres West Olive 16
Nebraska
AMC Oakview Plaza 24
New Jersey
AMC Hamilton 24
AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24
AMC Loews Jersey Gardens 20
AMC Loews New Brunswick 18
New York
AMC Empire 25
AMC Loews 19th St. East 6
AMC Loews Kips Bay 15
AMC Loews Stony Brook 17
AMC Palisades 21
North Carolina
AMC Carolina Pavilion 22
AMC Southpoint 17
Ohio
AMC Easton Town Center 30 with Dine-in Theatres
AMC Lennox Town Center 24
Oklahoma
AMC Quail Springs Mall 24
AMC Southroads 20
Pennsylvania
AMC Loews Waterfront 22
AMC Neshaminy 24
Texas
AMC Grapevine Mills 30 with Dine-in Theatres
AMC Mesquite 30 with Dine-in Theatres
AMC Stonebriar 24
AMC Studio 30
AMC The Parks At Arlington 18
AMC Willowbrook 24
Utah
AMC West Jordan 12
Virginia
AMC Hampton Towne Centre 24
AMC Hoffman Center 22
Washington
AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16
AMC Loews Oak Tree 6
AMC Pacific Place 11
AMC River Park Square 20
AMC Southcenter 16


Read More: ‘Purple Rain’ is a hit in theaters again, expanding to even more screens | http://www.brooklynvegan.com/purple-rain-is-a-hit-in-theaters-again-expanding-to-even-more-screens/?trackback=tsmclip

8am show was sold out.

might go again on wednesday/

https://youtu.be/kW5oQigsZbw

Raspberry Beret

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRdHowRiu_w

Cute....

https://youtu.be/UDwTJQuB_WI

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/tracy-morgan-hilarious-prince-story.html

Purple Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2NZIdShewo

Purple Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7LmJQInfQ4

Purple Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtsQKbPCVJs

aired in 1988

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_gLZhKAMQQ

"Welcome 2 Minneapolis"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Mu1GOf9i8

*lets keep this going!

*southern university marching band=wow!

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/04/prince-tribute-jennifer-hudson-bruce-springsteen

beautiful

http://www.ajc.com/news/entertainment/see-it-new-orleans-pays-tribute-prince-epic-second/nrByf/

http://video-embed.nola.com/services/player/bcpid1949030309001?bctid=4862998709001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAPmbRMTE~,BWCCSzT6s9kk8xlYY9rVrKw3SC5F9_7L

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2016/04/26/purple-reign-a-purple-prince-second-line-and-celebration-in-new-orleans

http://fusion.net/story/295512/prince-new-orleans-second-line-parade/

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/a-final-visit-with-prince-rolling-stones-lost-cover-story-20160502

A Final Visit With Prince: Rolling Stone's Lost Cover Story
Scenes from an intimate 2014 interview at Paisley Park

BY BRIAN HIATT May 2, 2016

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

yes

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7350430/prince-purple-rain-hot-100-charts

https://youtu.be/YBQmpWm1nEU
_____________________________________________________
"You can win with certainty with the spirit of "one cut". "Musashi Miyamoto

https://www.facebook.com/stpaulpeterson/posts/10154137052766575

Today at 5:07 pm CDT, Fdeluxe will share our musical tribute to ‪#‎Prince‬. 5:07 pm is exactly "7 Hours and 13 Days" since he passed, and that is the first lyric in the song he wrote for us called ‪#‎NothingCompares2U‬. We have re-recorded this song, featuring the beautiful string arrangement by the late Clare Fischer, played by members of Mpls' own @STRINGenius. This was a labor of love...everyone donated their time as a "thank you" to Prince for his musical contributions to the world. Check back then.....thank you all!

don't miss this, ya'll

https://youtu.be/gt1YhpQb8go

this is from SNL from his first performance

http://pitchfork.com/news/65090-watch-mac-demarco-cover-princes-its-gonna-be-lonely/

No message

No message

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/stevie-wonder-on-prince-he-took-music-to-a-whole-other-place-20160503

Stevie Wonder from the heart...One genius to another...So real and heartfelt...Beautiful words....And pretty damn funny. at times...

--

Rolling Stone
Stevie Wonder

In a 1999 interview, Prince credited Stevie Wonder as a "role model." Following Prince's death, Wonder returned the praise, saying, "It's a heartbreak to lose a member of that army of love." Wonder shared further thoughts on his late friend and sometime collaborator with Rolling Stone.

Stevie:

Prince's music was so picturesque that even I could see it. I could see his boss Mr. McGee, who thought Prince was never going to be shit. I could see Old Man Johnson's farm. I could feel that "Purple Rain" too. Prince's songs were that vivid, the images were that strong. I think I related to the way Prince saw things because we both grew up in the Midwest, where we met all kinds of people and had a great spectrum from which to learn. We both grew up hearing blues, rock & roll, jazz and gospel, and found the value in it all.

When Prince and I spoke last, we talked about how we needed to fix this world. All this bullcrap about getting our country back and "Make America Great Again" – it's always been great. We just have to stop people filling their minds with lies and prejudice and open them up to the possibilities.

Prince was so inspired, and so inspiring. He was kind, he was disciplined and he knew where he wanted to go. He was able to make big transitions. If Michael was the King of Pop, Prince should be the Emperor. Prince fought for his artistic freedom. He didn't allow anyone or anything to get in his way. By following his own path, Prince took music to a whole other place, like the Beatles did. He wanted to change the way things were, like Marvin Gaye did. When you do that, you have to be very sure of yourself.

That spirit that drove him gave us an incredible reservoir of music. He loved funk, so he really needed to know how to make things funky. He loved jazz, so he needed to break down what made things truly swing. If Prince wanted to talk about love and sex, he got really into that – deep. And he made us see and feel it all with him. In fact, I'm trying to figure out which child of mine was born because of listening to Prince.

link: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/stevie-wonder-on-prince-he-took-music-to-a-whole-other-place-20160503

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/arts/music/the-wisdom-of-prince-as-told-by-his-collaborators.html


It is kind of amazing that each new story I read about Prince dude becomes more and more fascinating. Like the more I learn the more mysterious he becomes.

There just doesn't seem to have been anyone like him ever.


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

lol damn!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-mccartney-makes-minneapolis-crowd-go-crazy-with-prince-tribute_us_572b4b68e4b096e9f0905d81?ir=Entertainment§ion=us_entertainment&utm_hp_ref=entertainment

Paul on Prince: "Here’s to the man,” McCartney said, via the Star Tribune. “Loved that guy. Thank you, Prince, for writing so many beautiful songs, so much music. And he’s your guy.”

Paul Mac's excerpt of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy"...When P's symbol lit up in the background the crowd went wild...Good shit...

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/prince-in-the-nineties-an-oral-history-20160505?page=11

Prince in the Nineties: An Oral History

Inside the decade when the late icon formed one of his greatest bands – and faced some of his toughest trials

BY DAVID BROWNE May 5, 2016

No message

Clair de Prince

https://www.facebook.com/SCPFanPage/videos/1177898705576273/

Cubby Colby was an engineer with Prince throughout most of the '80s...THIS story I'm posting basically confirms everything u ever heard/read about Prince---Dude is/was the most gifted musician of his era...Like, it's not even close....

--


Cubby Colby on the Controversy sessions:

“Controversy was an outstanding time period. He already had that Minnesota funk sound going. The first time I spent time with him, he came in late after I set up the entire PA. Everybody else had left the building, and he walked in. He had said he’d like to play the instruments onstage, so it was him and me. He sat at the Linn drum machine and programmed a beat. I bought that up in the drum wedge. He turned around at the Simmons electronic drum set, with a real snare, hat and cymbals, and started playing to the Linn drum machine. We dialed that in. Then he walked over to the keyboard.

I sent the Linn drum machine over there, and he talked into the microphone to me, played the keyboards, then went to Lisa’s keyboard position and did the same thing. I tried to stay ahead of him as he went from one mix to another. He put the bass on and jumped down.

Prior to him playing the bass he’d been playing bass lines with his left hand and playing horn punches and swells and pads with his right hand.I thought, ‘look at this guy go.’ Three-handed music, but there’s only two hands on the guy. Then he put the guitar on, and he had a moving keyboard that he rolled out. I dialed that in. He was playing keyboard bass lines with his right hand and playing lead lines with the other hand on his guitar neck, his Hohner guitar. That is the greatest-sounding clean guitar that I’ve heard, until this day, 40 years later. We started at 11 o’clock at night.

We got done and I looked at my wristwatch: it was about 3:30 in the morning, and it felt like it had been 15 minutes. Unbelievable. This was my first day. I was ready to go home at 11 o’clock. I didn’t know who he was, but it didn’t take long to figure it out: this guy is unbelievable.”

link: http://www.prosoundnetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=46040

they ever come out...he probably knows alot of how p wanted it..

Took place in LA...Everybody from Andre Cymone and Prince's two ex wives to band members (all of the Revolution, Cat Clover, etc...) to Prince's half brother Omarr....This was by all accounts a beautiful happening....

An overwhelmed Cat said to a reporter: "Tonight is so beautiful to see all these great celebrities and speakers and professors and musicians come together. And they're so humble," she shared. "And what they did tonight was amazing. As a matter of fact that's why I'm out here cause I was crying. It's just too emotional. Everything was so beautiful."


----

Rolling Stone
Prince Honored at Touching L.A. Memorial

"He had an ability to make you want to be your best self," Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin told crowd of family, friends

By Touré May 12, 2016


An intimate, private memorial celebrating the life of Prince was held Wednesday night at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Jointly organized by Prince's ex-wives, Manuela Testolini and Mayte Garcia, the event brought together a wide array of celebrities from Larry King to Savion Glover and many of Prince's old friends including all the members of the Revolution circa Purple Rain – Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Matt Fink, Bobby Z and Mark Brown – who all sat together. Most attendees wore black with some sort of purple touch. Spike Lee sported a purple beret and purple Nikes.

A video was screened showing musicians all over the world playing Prince's songs, fans saying tearful goodbyes and Prince accepting his Academy Award in 1985, draped in a shimmering purple cape. There were also performances, including Esperanza Spalding and Janelle Monáe's joint covers of "Controversy" and "Take Me With U." And there were lots of stories about Prince told by his friends.

Tavis Smiley recalled Prince's insatiable curiosity to know about everything – he called Prince "nosy," and many in the crowd laughed in assent. He said Prince loved having deep talks about all sorts of subjects. Smiley said they often had hours-long phone conversations about "how to navigate this thing called life." Michael Testolini, brother of Manuela, told of playing a pickup baseball game with Prince and the band. "An epic game played by the world's most inept group of players," he said. Many people spoke of Prince's fearlessness, his love of pranks and how music was always the primary force in his life. Some talked about Prince jumping onstage in small bars. Nile Rodgers of Chic said that for Prince, "It wasn't about the fame; it was about the music."

Many spoke of Prince's generosity and philanthropy. Morris Hayes, who played keys in the New Power Generation, said that whenever a tour stopped in a town where one of the band members hailed from, Prince would give that member a large check to give to the local school. And if a member's family passed away, Prince would pay for all of the arrangements.

Mavis Staples of the legendary Staples Singers, who was signed to Paisley Park for seven years, remembered when Prince first tried to find her in order to sign her. When she heard that Prince wanted to write songs for her, she said, "What would Prince write for me? I can't sing that Apollonia stuff! I'm a grown woman!" She was told that he would write songs that were appropriate for her. She said, "I grinned the whole rest of the year." Staples said she "adopted" Prince and called him "son," while he called her "Mama Mavis." When it came time to record, Staples said sessions often ended well after the sun had come up. "I said, 'Prince, when do you sleep?' He said, 'Mavis, sleeping is a waste of time.' I said, 'Well, I'm gonna go waste some time.'" She called him "a beautiful spirit," and said, "I will miss my son." She walked off to adoring applause.

Susannah Melvoin, co-lead singer of the Family and Prince's onetime fiancée, told the origin story of "Starfish and Coffee," revealing that the original Cynthia Rose was a somewhat peculiar girl who was in her class in grade school, and her teacher's name was Kathleen. Melvoin said Cynthia was "otherworldly" and that "all of us were ordinary, except for her." She said that every day Cynthia told her that her favorite number was 12 and that for breakfast she had had "starfish and peepee." Then one day Cynthia told Susannah that her favorite number was actually 20. Susannah said she told Prince the story of Cynthia Rose several times and one day he asked her to write it down. That day he went to his studio and recorded "Starfish and Coffee," almost like a gift for her, with many of the details from her real story. But some had to change. "He said it can't be 'Starfish and Peepee.'"

Susannah's sister Wendy, who played guitar in the Revolution for years, said, "He had an ability to make you want to be your best self. Every note I've played since then, I've thought, 'Would he like that?'" She also said he liberated her. "He was a great girl," she said. "He was a better girl than me. But he saw me as a musician. And now I don't see myself as a female musician; I'm a musician." She spoke of into introducing him to Miles Davis' In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew and Joni Mitchell's Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Hejira. She said the best way to remember him was to be creative. "Being creative is how you can talk to him," she said. "If you're being creative, he will talk to you."

Manuela Testolini, Prince's second wife, said, "I fell in love with him because of his passion for humanity." Omarr Baker, Prince's younger half-brother, said, "when he talked to me, he talked not as a superstar. He talked to me like a brother." He said it was Prince who had taught him how to ride a bike. Mayte Garcia, his first wife, said Prince was a great father for the few days that their son was alive. She said that the child's name was Ahmir, which is Arabic for Prince.

At the end of the evening Reverend Michael Beckwith asked all in attendance to give Prince one last standing ovation. The crowd stood and applauded.



link: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/prince-honored-at-touching-l-a-memorial-20160512#ixzz48XAwfvdG

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/princes-unheard-music-inside-the-paisley-park-vault-20160517


Prince's Unheard Music: Inside the Paisley Park Vault

Purple One's former employees discuss contents of legendary archive

By David Browne May 17, 2016

*i still miss prince, dearly

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/04/22/defying-description-zz-tops-billy-gibbons-on-prince-the-sensational-guitarist/

Up until now I had always thought it was someone making that sound with their voice.

Gibbons is hella insightful too. That was a great article.

I keep replaying it now.

He was obviously tapping into the source with that one.

I miss Prince so much.

...that *is* Prince's voice (the "yeah, yeah, yeah" sound) mixed in with the guitar after opening solo.

Until that point, it's guitar alone.

Staticky as hell and I sang that shit anyway.

https://youtu.be/vLHBkHqy5uo

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1153418131346954&id=151494654872645

No message

http://www.minneapolis.org/princes-minneapolis/

Minneapolis helped shape Prince into the man and the artist he became, and in return, Prince forever left his mark on Minneapolis.

Even as Prince’s success swept the globe, he always remained close to his roots in Minneapolis. His journey started here and throughout his whole career, he embraced his hometown. He put Minneapolis on the map with his music and his distinct style.

From Prince's childhood home to First Avenue nightclub and his Paisley Park Studios, the Minneapolis area is full of people touched deeply by Prince, and it’s home to countless places and landmarks that connect us to his life. Check out some of them on the map and list below and visit our Memory Wall to see what others in the community remember most about Prince.


Honoring Prince

http://www.minneapolis.org/princes-minneapolis/honoring-prince/


Share your Prince memories here

http://www.minneapolis.org/princes-minneapolis/share-prince/

just beautiful stuff, man.

there's so much I can't keep track of it all.

But here's one from IG:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFrq1Efy0dQ/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKnnLuLDxD4

Sign O the Times

Raspberry Beret

Purple Rain

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-smolenyak-smolenyak/prince-geneology_b_2638616.html

in his family tree.

http://people.com/music/prince-mayte-garcia-would-have-stayed-together-son-amiir-death/

**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/there-was-a-campaign-to-separate-prince-and-me-fbj8k70fw

heart wrenching. :( I could barely get through it.