As we've all heard by now, People Magazine has been featuring interviews, recordings, and book excerpts with Mayte Garcia in lieu of her book's release, "The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince". From the bits we've been able to see, if nothing else, it is a lesson that no matter what we on the outside think we know as fans about our favorite artists and their closest relationships, the truth is, we really have no idea. Of course the book addresses what really happened with the loss of their infant son, and the aftermath of his death. Losing a child is one of the greatest human tragedies imaginable, and often produces more stress than losing a parent because it interrupts what we as humans expect as natural order. The emotional blow dealth by this kind of loss is so severe that it's estimated 80% of marriages do not survive the loss of a child. Hopefully, writing this memoir has been a cleansing and therapeutic expereince for Mayte, and will bring her to a place of healing if not closure from such a traumatic period of her life...and hopefully there are others out there who relate to her experience who can gain (if need be) the courage to express and work through their grief on their own journey back to wholeness after loss.

(photo credit: Pinterest)

Excerpts below from Yahoo! Entertainment and People.com

Just 16 when they met, Mayte went on six years later, on Valentine’s Day in 1996, to marry Prince

...In October of that year, she gave birth to their only child, a son named Amiir, who died six days after birth from a rare genetic disorder known as Pfeiffer syndrome Type 2...

...She described how Pfeiffer syndrome Type 2 is “a genetic disorder that causes skeletal and systematic abnormalities. The premature fusing of the bones in the skull, sometimes resulting in ‘cloverleaf skull,’ in which the eyes are outside the sockets. The fusion of bones in the hands and feet, causing a webbed or pawlike appearance … Garcia explains that she didn't know this until later, and at the time she didn't understand what she was seeing and her husband's initial reaction of pure joy turned to sheer terror in the moments after their baby's birth.

In an excerpt from the book published in People magazine, Mayte recounted how — shortly after the baby died — her ...husband dragged her out of bed to be interviewed…“’Oprah’s coming to Paisley. Today.’”

...Although she begged him to tell the talk show host that she was ill, he said, “’I need you to do this.’ … He had me on my feet, but I was sobbing. People came. A mask of heavy makeup was applied to my face.”

(Oprah.com)

...he went on to give Oprah a tour of his “favorite room” in the Minnesota compound: a nursery and playroom.

...Garcia also wrote that during the interview, “I sat on the sofa, smiling a pretty ballerina smile. I’d been instructed by my husband, ‘Say nothing about Amiir...’”

Garcia writes in the book that she “didn’t know anything about” the room, which her husband had set up while she was in the hospital, because “he wanted to surprise me.”

Mayte went on to get pregnant again, soon after the death of Amiir, but she suffered a miscarriage...

On their third anniversary, they announced plans to annul their marriage, but officially divorced in 2000...

Additional reports in People Magazine go on to chronicle the dancer's grief as she slept with her infant's ashes for days after his death and felt suicidal, as well as clues that in retrospect, her husband my have been self-medicating at the time while they grieved, though she never saw him take anything during their time together as a couple. She describes how he later had all items and memories related to her pregancy and their late infant burned by an assistant, including the the baby's ashes. She was not present at the time, and still has difficulty thinking about it today .

Garcia’s book comes out April 4.

to read the full articles:

https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/prince-and-mayte-garcias-1996-oprah-interview-is-especially-heartbreaking-in-light-of-her-new-memoir-225659861.html

.

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

these excerpts are really sad

You can tell in that Oprah image, she was having a hard time hiding her pain.

ladygirl99 said:

ladygirl99 said:

luvgirl said:

endiadj said:

luvgirl said:

Everywhere I turn, his so called "fans" are bad mouthing him. Isn't one enough? http://prince.org/msg/7/439882

Coming up on the anniversary of his death no less. It's a very sad turn of events.

endiadj said:

ladygirl99 said:

You can tell in that Oprah image, she was having a hard time hiding her pain.

So was he.

Yes I know that but as a queerfem I am going to have a special heart more for women who did all they could of nourishing their baby in their womb and the baby ended up not surviving.

luvgirl said:

endiadj said:

Coming up on the anniversary of his death no less. It's a very sad turn of events.

Thank you. It's sickening. It makes me not want to come to Prince.org anymore. I come here because I miss him, and want to be around his fans. What the hell???
[Edited 3/17/17 18:51pm]

luvgirl said:

Everywhere I turn, his so called "fans" are bad mouthing him because of this book. Isn't one enough? http://prince.org/msg/7/439882

actually,Mayte seems to be the one who's getting the most abuse.In that thread,Prince fans are badmouthing her really bad!

SoulAlive said:

SoulAlive said:

rogifan said:

SoulAlive said:

actually,Mayte seems to be the one who's getting the most abuse.In that thread,Prince fans are badmouthing her really bad!

Last time I checked this was prince.org not mayte.org. Yeah I'll have a go at someone who puts intimate, personal stuff in a book that they don't even for sure is true. That's not classy at all.

I hear what you're saying,but we gotta remember,those are her memories too.She is entitled to share her memories.I'm generally not a fan of "tell-all" books,but it is what it is Whenever a celebrity dies,it's inevitable that these type of books will get written.

luvgirl said:

SoulAlive said:

actually,Mayte seems to be the one who's getting the most abuse.In that thread,Prince fans are badmouthing her really bad!

There's more than a few irritating innuendos and disparaging comments over there about him, and Myte certainly has a lot of support from some of "HIS FANS." It's really weird, as this is Prince.org. It's the most disturbing thing to me to hear his baby's name (I know it's her baby too) banded about so carelessly and such intimate details shared with strangers about him. It's very sad...

this whole situation is sad but like I said in the previous post,whenever a famous celebrity dies,it's inevitable that these type of books will get written.It's par for the course

and let's be clear: Prince wasn't a perfect human being.He made some mistakes in his life,too.I'm not gonna take sides just saying that,if you think Mayte is a classless,lowlife human being,we can't let Prince off the hook,either.

None of us were there. Even if any of us read her book, it's just part of the story. This was a horrible situation and none of us can say for sure how we would react if we had to deal with such a tragedy. We shouldn't pass judgement here. TBH this is one aspect of his story I care not to know.

All things Mayte: http://prince.org/msg/7/439882

Nobody burned the urn. Prince had always been in possession of it.

ChanGirl said:

There have been reports that Mayte may pull her book. Please don't let this happen. She has been silent for too long. She needs to tell her story. People are behind her 100%. Tell her not to pull it Meltedman! Her story needs to be told.

poor Mayte. i feel so sorry for her right now. she cannot win on this website. hope she is okay, and stays far, far away from here

XxAxX said:

poor Mayte. i feel so sorry for her right now. she cannot win on this website. hope she is okay, and stays far, far away from here

Agreed. If anyone has a right to tell their story, and even make a living from it, it's her and Manuela. They married the guy, they were there in the most intimate of moments; Mayte even more. Any of these fan-come-lately types writing books because they think they have some new insight into all things Prince need to stop. It's people like Mayte, or a band member that I want to hear from. And they know how Prince fans are - they're spoiled and entitled. They're never 100% happy. And while they are entitled to opinions, the ones who were there are certainly entitled to tell their story, and make a living.

endiadj said:

I'm surprised so many Prince "fans" are s o supportive of this book filled with such innuendo and hearsay that's giving way to him being called a rapist, drug addict, pedophile and more.

no, it's not. the only people who are saying THAT are right here on this website. and oh my my it's crazy time up in here.

TrivialPursuit said:

XxAxX said:

poor Mayte. i feel so sorry for her right now. she cannot win on this website. hope she is okay, and stays far, far away from here

Agreed. If anyone has a right to tell their story, and even make a living from it, it's her and Manuela. They married the guy, they were there in the most intimate of moments; Mayte even more. Any of these fan-come-lately types writing books because they think they have some new insight into all things Prince need to stop. It's people like Mayte, or a band member that I want to hear from. And they know how Prince fans are - they're spoiled and entitled. They're never 100% happy. And while they are entitled to opinions, the ones who were there are certainly entitled to tell their story, and make a living.

it is deeply ironic that the one person who knew him best is being shouted down for telling her story by people who are putting the worst kind of spin on events, just cause their own minds are projecting something nasty

endiadj said:

I'm surprised so many Prince "fans" are s o supportive of this book filled with such innuendo and hearsay that's giving way to him being called a rapist, drug addict, pedophile and more.

I'm surprised fans have stooped to this level for the sake of it, and the book isn't even out yet. That is why she and others should stay away from prince.org. She was there. There is no hearsay or innuendo. It's insane to throw out words like rapist or pedophile. Absolutely insane, unfounded, and frankly - ridiculous. She didn't just fuck him - she married him. They loved each other. She had his baby. She was probably his biggest muse since Susannah, or Susan Moonsie. Who do you want a book from? Tony M? Damon? Gayle Chapman, who was there for like a minute or two? Maybe a P.A. on the UTCM set? A guy who opened the door for him at an award's show? What do they have to offer that his wife couldn't? Hell, the one person I'd want to hear from was Mayte, or Manuela.

At this point,it wouldn't make any sense to pull the book now.So much of its contents have already been revealed.There's no turning back now