This year has been a rough one. I held it together when Bowie left us, but Prince was part of my life for as long as I can remember. His music has stuck with me and several of his songs still get regular play.

We’ll probably never fully understand the influence he had on music or culture. Even as I write this, I’m not sure how to describe Prince:

• He was a musical impresario who played 20+ different instruments.
• He was often classified as R&B, but played guitar like a rocker.
• A super freak that could talk about lust, seduction, romance and loss with equal eloquence.
• An ardent believer in artists owning their music. He spent a lot of his career fighting for his rights (and royalties).
• He was cool and made others cool by association: Minneapolis and First Ave are places to know in part because Prince believed in them. Paisley Park gave Minneapolis cred no matter how few stars came out of there.
• AND he was damn good basketball player.

I’m listening to Current (MN Public Radio) as they do an all-day homage to The Artist. Check it out

Below are some responses to our loss from the Twittersphere:

And here are a few articles covering his life:

• The Guardian: Prince broke all the rules about what black American men should be
• NYT: How Prince Rebelled Against the Music Industry
• Wired: We’ll Never Understand Prince, and That’s Why We Love Him
• Washington Post: Mourning Prince and David Bowie, who showed there’s no one right way to be a man

I’ll remember him for his music, his sexiness, and his authenticity. #PrinceRip