Today marks the six-month anniversary of Prince's final performance at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. Below is an excerpt from my new book Prince: A Life in Music, remembering those final moments.

In the last encore of his career, Prince closed with “Purple Rain,” but preceded it with “Sometimes It Snows in April.” First recorded on April 21, 1985—the same month and day he would die—the song grieved over the death of a friend. Foreshadowing the silence that was about to befall him, he sang, “Sometimes I wish that life was everlasting, but all good things, they say, never last.” Seven minutes later, his final performance ended with his signature sing-along: the descending falsetto line in the coda of “Purple Rain,” his spirit-cleansing cry for redemption.

As always, Prince left the stage at the Fox Theater to a blare of appreciation.