purplerabbithole said:

LOVESYMBOLNUMBER2 said:

She can tell her story, it is not just princes story, he married her so he made it her story too. I do think describing the babies appearance should have been kept private, out of respect for the child. obviously something she would discuss in detail with her loved ones, but not for any random person that may or may not give a crap. To included those details and then get paid feels wrong. She could have told the exact same story without describing the little one, and not lost any of the story. Again, it just makes me feel bad for everyone, that it all had to end like this...

I totally disagree with the statement that "describing the baby's appearance should have been kept private, out of respect for the child." I am a special education teacher and I teach children who have autism. I have also taught children who have intellectual disability (formerly known as mental retardation).

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Mayte has as much of a right 2 talk about her (their) child as any parent. Ahmir was HER child. Unfortunately, Ahmir was born with such a severe disability that he died from the complications. People should not try 2 sweep this under the rug just because it is a difficult topic. Saying that Mayte should keep the details about Ahmir private is basically telling her that she should suffer in silence.

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Ahmir was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, type 2. This is a rare and very significant disability, and he probably had severe malformations, but he was still as much of a person as any baby who was born completely healthy and looked more visually pleasing. I have looked at pictures of children who have Pfeiffer syndrome (all 3 types, including type 2, which is the most severe) and read about some of the complications that this syndrome causes. People need 2 understand what it is like 4 parents of children with severe disabilities so that these parents can receive the support and resources that they need to care 4 their children and to cope with the loss if their children die due 2 complications related to the disability.

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It is important 2 talk about the impact of disabilities because this also helps create more acceptance and helps 2 create a society that is more welcoming of people who have disabilities. Perhaps the details that Mayte shares about she and Prince's son could be helpful or comforting 4 other parents of children who have severe disabilities. If anything, the details that she shares may create more awareness of what families endure in caring for a child who has a severe disability. I hope that the details she shares about Ahmir further humanize him and help people 2 have more empathy for families that have children who have severe disabilities.

benni said:

muleFunk said:

I said in the beginning that I had no problem with her writing a book.

My problem is when someone is dead and someone close to them makes a statement then the other side has no chance to defend themselves.

It's like all of these books written after Dr. King's death saying he was a womanizer. The man is dead and cannot confirm or deny any story. Many of these books were written about Dr. King to discredit him and his wife was the one who denied the claims.

Prince has no one to deny anything so any statement becomes truth.

You're right. Prince has no way to confirm or deny what is written about him now. I recall stories of my mother and father, they have no way to confirm or deny them, but that does not make my recollections any less MY understanding of MY experiences. They may have seen those things in a different way or have a different understanding of them, and I look at those experiences through the eyes of the child I was and the adult I am.

Truth, however, always remains true. And just because something is written or recalled, doesn't make it true, it just makes it that persons perspective of that truth. At the end of the day, that is all we have is our perspective of what we see the truth as, when in actuality truth is simply that and is the experience of it, not the words we use to describe it. Truth isn't our perspective of the events, because our perspective is always colored by who we are in that moment.

So, I disagree that any statement becomes truth. It may become an accepted statement for some, and others may continue to question the validity of the statement. For myself, I am adult enough to understand and accept that this is Mayte's understanding of her experiences that are colored by the young woman she was at the time and the woman she is now. Just as Prince's understanding of those times would have been colored by the man he was then and the man he was at a later time.

This has nothing to do with someone's understanding of their experience.

That's why I said she has a right to write about that experience. The problem is she could have made those experiences known before his body was cold. Now whatever she says will become tools of discreditation .

rogifan said:

purplerabbithole said:

Don't presume what people's real reasons are for being upset about the memoir. I was upset about this book (at least how its played out in the media) but I also wish he hadn't become a JW. I don't think it was healthy for him at all. It was a milder form of a opiate. I get why he did it and I can't presume that LG and others were intentionally trying to hurt him but I don't think that religion did much for him. i prefer the more open spirituality he seemed to be embracing toward the end of his life, not the Rainbrow children BS.

I often wonder about this. Is it a JW thing or just religion in general? I think his belief in God was a good thing and it never bothered me that he stopped cursing. But I could do without some of the conspiracy theory stuff he bought into. Though I don't know if that was a JW thing or not.

He stopped cursely publicly. But privately, a blind item said he still cursed. Fans need to think hard about these celebrities and their public images. I had spoke to people in the industry about Hollywood over social media over the years and they laughed at how the celebrities fooled fans of what they presented themselves in public eye as I was told many celebrities have Dr.Jekyll and Mr Hyde persona. I also still kind of unsure if he was still JW toward his final years and from what I observed he was expanding his ideas.

In other words, Mayte's book is not going to be for the sensitive. She is going to reveal lot of behind the scenes of the man and some fans who critic Prince based on his public image is likely going to be very shock if they are going to read the book.

benni said:

BillieBalloon said:

benni said: The only thing that should impact on a person is the truth. When she wrote this book she was 43 years old, old enough to decipher fact from fiction, if you dont know the truth then find out. Yes, this is her story but its also about her life with a man she calls the love of her life. Just because somebody says something to you it doesnt mean they are telling the truth, especially something as serious as this. If she wasnt sure she should have done some digging to unearth the truth. You're speculating that Prince may have told her what he did. Prince did not tell her, she clearly states a friend heard it from somebody else. Prince was not above the law. A judge would gave given the mother the childs ashes or divided them, whatever. The truth is she didnt know where the ashes were. The truth is also she doesnt know if Prince burned them or not.

And the truth is, you don't know whether she went to Prince after a friend revealed the story to find out what happened. You also don't know whether she went to Prince to ask for the ashes or not. You are given one excerpt from the book and have decided on what your truth is based upon your understanding of that one part. You don't have the entire story yet to be able to discern the whole truth. You are speculating that she didn't go to Prince afterwards. You are speculating that she didn't ask him for the ashes back.

But you are speculating that she did.

disch said:

...And she has a right, I believe, to discuss her child who passed away 20 years ago, regardless of how the child's now-deceased father wanted that issue addressed. The way Prince handled that whole part of his life was atypical at best and, one could argue, cruel at worst, and to expect that Mayte should be required to adhere to his very unusual preferences for the rest of her life seems a little over the top.

MD431Madcat said:

She has the right to tell her story.. PERIOD!

disch, I totally agree with you.

muleFunk said:

benni said:

You're right. Prince has no way to confirm or deny what is written about him now. I recall stories of my mother and father, they have no way to confirm or deny them, but that does not make my recollections any less MY understanding of MY experiences. They may have seen those things in a different way or have a different understanding of them, and I look at those experiences through the eyes of the child I was and the adult I am.

Truth, however, always remains true. And just because something is written or recalled, doesn't make it true, it just makes it that persons perspective of that truth. At the end of the day, that is all we have is our perspective of what we see the truth as, when in actuality truth is simply that and is the experience of it, not the words we use to describe it. Truth isn't our perspective of the events, because our perspective is always colored by who we are in that moment.

So, I disagree that any statement becomes truth. It may become an accepted statement for some, and others may continue to question the validity of the statement. For myself, I am adult enough to understand and accept that this is Mayte's understanding of her experiences that are colored by the young woman she was at the time and the woman she is now. Just as Prince's understanding of those times would have been colored by the man he was then and the man he was at a later time.

This has nothing to do with someone's understanding of their experience.

That's why I said she has a right to write about that experience. The problem is she could have made those experiences known before his body was cold. Now whatever she says will become tools of discreditation .

No, she couldn't have, if she signed a non-disclosure clause or if she decided to respect Prince's wishes while he was here to not disclose those things. It could be the non-disclosures were set in to place to exist while he was still living, but became voided upon his ... once he was gone. She would not have had the money to be able to fight a court case if she tried to reveal it while he was here if she did sign a non-disclosure.

Sounds like the wives didn't know or understand Prince any more than anybody else. In the end, he remains a controversial enigma.

muleFunk said:

annalizer said:

purplerabbithole said: Some people might view his behavior as positive and some may view it as negative. My opinion is based on the results of his actions. [Edited 3/16/17 18:13pm]

Her daddy gave her to Prince just like Priscilla Presley's father gave her to Elvis.

Speaks volumes .

Funny, you're quick to criticize her father for doing that, but not so quick to criticise Prince, the all mighty flawless rockstar/genius for wanting a 16 year old in the first place...

muleFunk said:

benni said:

And the truth is, you don't know whether she went to Prince after a friend revealed the story to find out what happened. You also don't know whether she went to Prince to ask for the ashes or not. You are given one excerpt from the book and have decided on what your truth is based upon your understanding of that one part. You don't have the entire story yet to be able to discern the whole truth. You are speculating that she didn't go to Prince afterwards. You are speculating that she didn't ask him for the ashes back.

But you are speculating that she did.

No, I'm not. I'm not stating she did that, I don't know what she did. Just as it is not known what she didn't do. That is the whole point. Why speculate about what she did or didn't do? Either could be the case. Until we have the whole story, we don't know. That is the point. Others are saying she was told this and she took it as the truth, she didn't try to get the ashes, etc. How do they know that based upon one excerpt from the book? They don't. It is just as likely that the opposite occurred. That is my point. I am reserving judgment on the whole thing until I actually read the book, if I do. At this point, I'm leaning towards it, but I'm still not convinced that it is a part of his life that I want to know. I just hate seeing all the speculation being thrown around as truth, and the vilification of someone that doesn't quite deserve it yet. There are those saying her motivations are money related. That may or may not be the case. How does anyone know what Mayte's motivation for writing this is if she has not revealed that motivation? It is merely speculation being bandied about as truth. People will believe what they want to believe.

PurpleMedley122 said:

laurarichardson said:

I was not given anything to take home and I was not in pain after 3 days in the hospital. You know their is a pic going around of her smoking a hooka. I wish I was making this stuff up but she is really posting this kind of stuff.

...so? A lot of grown adults smoke (usually nicotine) out of a hooka. You're really grasping at straws at this point to vilify this woman for some reason. And you sure seem to post a lot in a thread about a book you claim to not care for or want to read. Just saying...

Have you ever been to the middle-east????? Egypt? Morocco? No? Ok.

anangellooksdown said:

I have a lot of compassion for Mayte. It seems she is still hurting or angry about these losses. She obviously loved her husband very much. When she can accept the things that have happened she will be free.

The problem is that it's been 17 years since they divorced and 10 years since they last saw/spoke to each other. If she is not over him by now, she will never be over him. I know that they went through one of the most horrible experiences that a couple can go through, but it's been so long that most people would have been able to put the hurt in a place where it's no longer affecting their daily lives.

On Hollywood Exes, there was an episode about Mayte not being able to find a lasting relationship. They called in a life coach/dating expert/ or something like that to give her advice about meeting the right guy. One things that the life coach pointed out is that when you walk in the living room, the first thing you see is her china collection in the china cabinet. It seems to me that Mayte should do what Prince did and get rid of all things Prince from her life. That's why I can't really judge her for selling the reminders of him and writing the book, although, based on what I've read articles about the book, I'm worried that the general public will come away with a bad opinion of Prince. If she needs to sell the stuff and tell her story to get him truly out of her life, then so be it.

If she is doing this simply to make money and to get revenge on Prince, then karma will pay her visit sooner or later.

KEep in mind that speculation about Prince has been around for 30 years. That is part of being in the public eye obviously. Plus, books like these are always released after someone dies, they always make money and money is at least one of the motives..otherwise, the entire profits would go to charity etc.

The question is how much of a motive is money for her? And that is impossible to know unless we know her.

benni said:

muleFunk said:

But you are speculating that she did.

No, I'm not. I'm not stating she did that, I don't know what she did. Just as it is not known what she didn't do. That is the whole point. Why speculate about what she did or didn't do? Either could be the case. Until we have the whole story, we don't know. That is the point. Others are saying she was told this and she took it as the truth, she didn't try to get the ashes, etc. How do they know that based upon one excerpt from the book? They don't. It is just as likely that the opposite occurred. That is my point. I am reserving judgment on the whole thing until I actually read the book, if I do. At this point, I'm leaning towards it, but I'm still not convinced that it is a part of his life that I want to know. I just hate seeing all the speculation being thrown around as truth, and the vilification of someone that doesn't quite deserve it yet. There are those saying her motivations are money related. That may or may not be the case. How does anyone know what Mayte's motivation for writing this is if she has not revealed that motivation? It is merely speculation being bandied about as truth. People will believe what they want to believe.

I find it bizarre that Mayte deemed it disrespectful to have to pay for a concert ticket and then she chose this route to remember her ex-husband and child. Surely, being in the entertainment biz, she knew what the headlines would be. She saw what happened when it was reported that he died of an accidental overdose.

[Edited 3/18/17 11:20am]

laurarichardson said:

Identity said:

Maybe because he was in pain. 🙏🏿

There's no mention of Prince being in pain in this book. Don't you find that strange? Given that even Shela E said he was in pain after the PR tour. She was married to him and shared a life with him for 10 years. I wonder if the joint pain narrative was fed to us by Sheila E straight from the beginning, to make him look better by having an excuse for doing drugs. Even Kravitz alluded that he knew what had happened...

Menes said:

Strawberrylova123 said:

umm she found him unconscious with vomit and wine all over the floor, the doctors had to pump his stomach, his excuse was he took the pills cause he could hear his heart beating ( whatever that means) this was before she gave birth, she had to flush pills down the toilet because he was taking to many. look i was in denial with this regarding prince but he had an opioid problem. it doesn't make him a bad person.

She couldn't resist the temptation to settle the score one last time after feeling betrayed for all these years. She has been making offhand remarks, dropping hints here and there, and soliciting help in any way she could to get Prince out of her system while simultaneously making some cash.. A brooding broad she became. The boyfriend's didnt work, the shelter didn't work, that wretched ratchet show didn't work, selling off your most beloved and cherished items from your marriage didnt work, adopting a child didnt work... something has to work!

Many of them have used certain mediums to benefit from the man. Some ran and started church, others ran to facebook, some to twitter, some started painting as if Picasso had possessed them, some started touring, some resurrrected singing careers(sit down Sharon).

But, but, but, the book! This might work because now the world knows me through Prince and they will pay me to read it! I get to make money off of his name finally! It's her right, so ask yourself, you think this is out of love? Maybe in Tagalog it is.

The problem is, in English, selling this story would best be described as a shrewed definition of success when you diminish in any way the hand that fed you.This has nothing to do with Prince. Ulitmate betrayal. To the public square!

Amen to this!

MMJas said:

MMJas said:

muleFunk said:

Her daddy gave her to Prince just like Priscilla Presley's father gave her to Elvis.

Speaks volumes .

Funny, you're quick to criticize her father for doing that, but not so quick to criticise Prince, the all mighty flawless rockstar/genius for wanting a 16 year old in the first place...

I'm not leaving Prince out of any critique!

Hell he was out of pocket with her and Anna Fantastic however more critique needs to be focused on mama and daddy for letting the shit happen.

purplerabbithole said:

I didn't know she had MS when I asked that question. And it was a question--snarky one maybe but still just a question.

MMJas said:

Probably to allow her to support her (addopted) daughter, since she does not (contrary to what everyone believed) receive any allowance from Prince and is probably worried that having MS might hinder her capability of working later or, being that she's a belly dancing teacher.

Geez, the attacks I've read so far on this woman make me cringe, I tell ya...

Agreed. It's sad and rather disturbing.

MMJas said:

benni said:

ladygirl99 said:

He didn't fuck a 16 year old but yet Prince is still getting criticized via message boards all over the internet like he did. But few people are pointing out that the parents allowed this or no sex happened until she was 19. Yes, this is a fan page. But, I am sure you have been on here before and Prince rarely goes unscathed. And he has been criticized on her for liking his women young.

There is a difference between Prince and her daddy. Prince didn't do anything illegal with this girl (according to all parties involved) but how the hell could the parents had known that for sure when they originally agreed to the arrangement. Their lack of skepticism/weariness was scary (unless there was some chaperoning, then all apologies)

BTW, he wasn't attracted to a 13 year old or a pre-teen.. He was attracted to a girl who he had to ask again about her age..so apparently she looked older than 16 and he didnt do anything with her until she was a year past the legal age. Living in the 55,000 square foot Paisley Park doesn't mean she lived in his bedroom right away.

.

MMJas said:

muleFunk said:

Her daddy gave her to Prince just like Priscilla Presley's father gave her to Elvis.

Speaks volumes .

Funny, you're quick to criticize her father for doing that, but not so quick to criticise Prince, the all mighty flawless rockstar/genius for wanting a 16 year old in the first place...

[Edited 3/18/17 11:37am]

[Edited 3/18/17 11:40am]

ladygirl99 said:

purplethunder3121 said:

rogifan said:

PennyPurple said:

Yes, I would hope that somebody would speak out about this. It could be cleared up in a second if Tyka or the assistant would speak out.

So she can just put stuff in the book not knowing for sure if it's true or not and it's someone else's responsibility to fact check after the fact? Even though we all know the original claim will get more attention than any denial ever would? I'm sorry that's bullshit. If she doesn't know for a fact this happened it shouldn't be in the book. Peri od.

She's writing her story. It's her book. She wanted to know about what happened to her stuff, including her son's ashes, and that's what she was told.

rogifan said:

MMJas said:

laurarichardson said:

Identity said:

Maybe because he was in pain. 🙏🏿

There's no mention of Prince being in pain in this book. Don't you find that strange? Given that even Shela E said he was in pain after the PR tour. She was married to him and shared a life with him for 10 years. I wonder if the joint pain narrative was fed to us by Sheila E straight from the beginning, to make him look better by having an excuse for doing drugs. Even Kravitz alluded that he knew what had happened...

So if Mayte doesn't mention pain in this book that means it's a line others have been feeding us to cover up drug use? Because Mayte is the sole authority on Prince? And Mayte would for sure have made mention of it in her book?

Knowing someone doesn't mean you always understand them. HOw well do we understand anyone we know. We just know what their habits and tendencies are but we can never know other people as well as know ourselves (with the exceptions of psychiarists/therapists most of us don't know entirely how to figure out the inter workings of someone's elses minds.

Prince was a tougher nut to crack but his wives knew him.

paulludvig said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Sounds like the wives didn't know or understand Prince any more than anybody else. In the end, he remains a controversial enigma.

That about sums it up.