The Shocking Death of Prince: More Than Doves Are Crying At Sudden Passing of Still-Young Music Legend

BY James Brock // 04.21.16

Prince is death at age 57 — and there are more questions than answers at this point.

The losses continue. Bowie. Haggard. And today, Prince. Geniuses gone. All in a single year.

The Prince died at his suburban Minneapolis estate on Thursday morning (no cause of death has been revealed yet). He was 57. It’s another unfathomable loss for the music world.

Watch Prince Rogers Nelson play the guitar, listen to the ballads and the screams, the chords and the anguish and joy. They all came from somewhere that was at once mysterious and overtly accessible. His art appealed to the masses, and to those who value classical and superb musicianship. Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, 100 million records sold: those accolades and more were deserved.

Reinvention, experimentation, evolution, all in the name of self-expression and art. That’s his legacy.

Many people strut stages and spend time in recording studios. But only a few create bodies of work that stand the test of time. Prince was one of those. We were lucky to be among his audience.

Now we feel the sadness at the loss, but we also have the music and images and footage and joy. That will have to be enough from now on.