206Michelle said:

LBrent said:

206Michelle, I feelya and I also felt better about 4/21 after reading the book. I agree that many of the decisions P made brought him to 4/21, but for me whatever he was up to was merely a part of the purple continuum.

Throughout the years I've never thought about the man seperate from his actions seperate from his artistry. It was all pieces to the complete puzzle that I've been trying to assemble all these years. Without one piece the puzzle was still unfinished for me.

I watch P's videos and notice stuff I didn't notice before Mayte's book. And I should add, her book was far from the first P book I've read. I've read so many that's it got to be ridiculous. But hers resonated on many levels for me, levels I'd ignored over the years and levels that have resurfaced that had me extremely uncomfortable.

I'm not sure about anything religious. Frankly, organized religion has always been something that although I've studied alot about it, I decided early on it wasn't for me. But I do beleive there is a continuum of spirit. This I know. This I feel every day.

I can't articulate it adequately to someone else, but it's very clear in my heart and mind. P was part of that and that and many other reasons still having me loving him. I always will.

LBrent, I share your sentiments. I think we are struggling to adequately express what we are feeling about him, but I get the feeling that what you described and what I described is more or less the same experience that we are struggling to express.

Brent and 206Michelle, very good posts.

.

DD55 said:

206Michelle said:

LBrent, I share your sentiments. I think we are struggling to adequately express what we are feeling about him, but I get the feeling that what you described and what I described is more or less the same experience that we are struggling to express.

Brent and 206Michelle, very good posts.

.

I don’t think ppl are just focusing on negative or the flaws only, it’s just that the book is new, just released on April 4th. Some people read it the first day, others are still reading.

.

Those of us who have read the book, after we finish reading, we have to put it down and have to take a deep breath. It feels like time is suspended in the air for a minute (I know that doesn’t make sense, i’ll rewrite when I can think of something else.) You just need time for it to sink in.

.

Now as for comments that are or perceived negatively, I think many of us (especially women) just ache for this couple and what they endured. It’s hitting us emotionally BECAUSE we love him. Someone else said it better, we wish we could go in a time machine to warn them. We are just discussing the events as she described them from her point of view as she reflects back on her life.

.

Might want to give him a smack in the head, but...

No one will love him less after reading the book!!!! and...

His place in history and his legacy will not be tarnished!!!

.

We just got a tiny peek into a small portion of his life and a little bit of understanding about his life, that’s all. Because it is so fresh in our minds it’s getting more weight than it will have 6 months from now. We’ll look back and remember a sad story, but won’t say or think anything negatively about Prince.

.

OK, OK, I admit, some of us still might be willing to meet at the corner of Rose and Beach. But that’s another topic.

M2

206Michelle said:

I just want to get this out of my head. I'll stay vague because I don't want to spoil the book for others. We all know how the story ends for Prince. Any details I spill on here have either (a) already been mentioned by others on this thread or (b) been the subject of a lot of speculation on prince.org.

--

First, I'm so glad I read this book. It was phenomenal. It wasn't Mayte's job to bring me closure. It's my job to figure that out for myself. But she made my job a hell of a lot easier.

--

Before reading this book, I had a lot of questions about Prince's death, and those questions bothered me, kept me up at night. At times, my wondering about Prince has consumed me. I've lost sleep over it.

Since I finished the book (less than 12 hours ago), do I still have questions? Yes.

Do I still think about what might have been? Yes. But I feel a lot of resolution, an inner peace, in my mind.

These questions and what-might-have-beens, the spiritual questions about fate and God's will and so forth, about why did he have to go through something as horrible as losing his son, these don't consume me the way that it they have for the past almost a year.

--

Am I sad Prince is gone? Yes. Every day. I never met him, but I MISS him. A small peice of my world left when he died. I have a number of memories tied to Prince, and I really liked his music before he died. But I was a casual fan. Had some of his songs, but none of his albums (not even Purple Rain, and there's a story behind why I didn't buy it.) Since he died, I've become obsessed. And it comes down to mainly one song that he wrote: Diamonds and Pearls. The man who created the song "Diamonds and Pearls," a song which has SO MUCH personal significance to me, is gone. This is a song that my husband introduced to me when we were dating. I wanted Diamonds and Pearls to be the first dance song at our wedding in July 2015 because I felt like it was "our song." But it wasn't our first dance song because my husband disagreed. (That's a story in and of itself.) So I put it on the list of songs for the DJ to play at the reception. I never heard it. The DJ may have played it before I got to the wedding reception. I don't know. I should ask people. My husband and I danced to "You and I" by Stevie Wonder, and it was fitting, because I grew up with that song. I've listened to the Talking Book album from which You and I comes since I was a little girl. Stevie is my favourite musician of all time. Prince is a close second. But I still wish the first dance song had been Diamonds and Pearls. I wish that moment of our wedding had been a Prince-filled moment. It wasn't. That hurts. It would have been a perfect compliment to the purple flowers (our colors were ivory, purple, and silver). The fact that we didn't do the first dance to Diamonds and Pearls hurst even more because Prince is gone now. Oh well. It's over. It's done. Maybe when we have a 10th anniversary celebration, we can dance to it. But guess what, the song will never die! Prince's music will never die! (Thanks for bearing with me while I had this stream of consiousness moment.)

--

Now back to the book.

Do I wish I could bring Prince back. Yes.

Do I still think he had life left in him? Yes.

Do I think he was suffering at the end of his life. Yes.

Do I think he was in pain? Yes.

Do I think he was addicted to painkillers. It's entirely possible. And if he was? So what? It happens. Doesn't make him a bad person. It means he was sick and needed help. I think of addiction as a disease, not a character flaw. The character flaw comes from not seeking help for addiction. He wasn't the rock and roll musician who was strung out on drugs. Never was. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

--

He was a musician who dealt with a lot of pain. Before I read and finished this book, it bothered me that he was in pain.

It bothered me that his only child, his only beloved son, died.

It bothered me that he never had any other children, because I think that this was a dream unfulfilled. It bothered me that he didn't know how to seek help for his problems.

--

Guess what. These things don't bother me anymore. I still have the questions, but they don't consume me. I'm sad he lost his son, it breaks my heart. It does. There is nothing worse than losing a child.

--

I believe in God. I believe God has a plan. And part of God's plan is giving people free will. Prince made choices. He made a lot of good choices and he made a lot of BAD CHOICES. And he paid for the bad choices. They came back to bite him. What goes around comes around.

--

But the dream of having children that went unfulfilled? That was his fault. He and Mayte could have had more children. IF not biological, they could have adopted children. But they didn't. Why? Because Prince did Mayte dirty. He turned his back on her. He was unfaithful to her (at the very least emotionally, and possibly sexually).

--

A LOT OF THE ISSUES HE HAD LATER IN LIFE, HE BROUGHT THEM ON HIMSELF BY THE CHOICES THAT HE MADE.

The fact that he died alone in an elevator with his clothes on backwards and his socks inside out.

The fact that help didn't come fast enough and was too late to help him. The fact that he may have been lonely at the end of his life. He brought these on himself with his bad choices. He refused to seek help. He turned his back on the woman, Mayte, who would have stayed with him. He let her slip through his fingers because of his own flaws. He listened to Larry Graham instead of his wife. This man who told Mayte repeatedly " will never leave u," did not keep his word. He broke his promise to her. And guess what? He paid for it down the road.

Everything that happened between he and Manuela. He brought it on himself. Never should have become involved with her. Never should have married her. She was an opportunitst, still is, and she bit him big time. The $600,000+ that he owes Patrick Cousins, the divorce lawyer, his fault. All the money he paid to Mani in the divorce, his fault. HE BROUGHT HIM ON HIMSELF!!! He was a married man...YOU DON'T SEE OTHER WOMEN. You don't make a steamy video for the "Greatest Romance Ever Sold" while still married to Mayte. You don't disrespect your wife like that.

--

He lost all sympathy from me and a lot of respect for how he conducted himself in relationships, especially with Mayte, based on this book. But I'm glad I know the truth. I still love him. Still respect him in many areas, just not how he conducted himself in relationships. I won't stop being a fan. I'm listening to his music just as I did yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and for many years before this one.

--

I knew he was flawed before I read the book. I know he is flawed after reading the book. He was a flawed genius. I don't like all of the flaws. But he was human. He didn't kill ayone. He didn't rape anyone. He didn't abuse children. Those three things, I can't deal with those. I might listen to the person's music, but I can't really celebrate the person if he/she did any of those three things. He didn't do any of those things, so I can still be a fan of him. He did a lot of great things in his life. He was a musical genius. When he was a father, he was a fabulous father, and that warmed my heart. If having children was an unfulfilled dream of his, it was his fault. It was his fault that he didn't because he abandoned Mayte. He wrote to her, "if they're not your babies, ain't havin' none!" Whether he felt that way later in life or not, who knows. But he kept his word. As a husband, he had some good moments, but he blew it. He was flawed. He let his true love go.

--

I liked Mayte before I read the book. Respected her. Felt bad for her because of losing her son, the miscarriage, and losing her marriage. All these things, I still feel. I feel bad for Mayte that she had to go through all that crap with . But she seems to be in a good place in her life now, loving her second chance at motherhood. She's gotten a chance to tell her story. Things didn't end well for her and Prince. But that happens sometimes. It sucks that his bad choices had such a negative effect on her. But I have enormous love and respect for her. The book was phenomenal. She wrote it with class. It was a great read.

--

Even before I read the book, Prince's music told me that Mayte was the love of his life. Songs like "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," "Let's Have a Baby, "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife," and even "The One," make this clear to me. "Let's Have a Baby" and "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife," on their own stand out in feeling, depth, and devotion. To me, Mayte has a place in the Prince universe is alongside Sheila E, the Revolution, and the core members of the NPG. Prince's music proves that she was his true love. The love songs he wrote for her are unmatched and proof that of all the women he loved, he loved her the most intensely. She will always be a big part of his story.

Thanks for sharing this, my thoughts exactly. He never wrote songs for other women that had the depth, passion, gratitude and joy of those songs he wrote for Mayte. Especially important to note is that with science (also from God) and/or adoption he could have been a father of healthy children. He DID break his vows to her...and the karmic blow-back was monumental. I still can't wrap my head around how the JW's accepted adultery, cruelty, lack of responsibility, and deception as OK...Maybe Larry that great "spiritual' guide can explain...but I'm not holding my breath. As for M2...she'll get hers...the laws of the universe always prevail.

206Michelle said:

I just want to get this out of my head. I'll stay vague because I don't want to spoil the book for others. We all know how the story ends for Prince. Any details I spill on here have either (a) already been mentioned by others on this thread or (b) been the subject of a lot of speculation on prince.org.

--

First, I'm so glad I read this book. It was phenomenal. It wasn't Mayte's job to bring me closure. It's my job to figure that out for myself. But she made my job a hell of a lot easier.

--

Before reading this book, I had a lot of questions about Prince's death, and those questions bothered me, kept me up at night. At times, my wondering about Prince has consumed me. I've lost sleep over it.

Since I finished the book (less than 12 hours ago), do I still have questions? Yes.

Do I still think about what might have been? Yes. But I feel a lot of resolution, an inner peace, in my mind.

These questions and what-might-have-beens, the spiritual questions about fate and God's will and so forth, about why did he have to go through something as horrible as losing his son, these don't consume me the way that it they have for the past almost a year.

--

Am I sad Prince is gone? Yes. Every day. I never met him, but I MISS him. A small peice of my world left when he died. I have a number of memories tied to Prince, and I really liked his music before he died. But I was a casual fan. Had some of his songs, but none of his albums (not even Purple Rain, and there's a story behind why I didn't buy it.) Since he died, I've become obsessed. And it comes down to mainly one song that he wrote: Diamonds and Pearls. The man who created the song "Diamonds and Pearls," a song which has SO MUCH personal significance to me, is gone. This is a song that my husband introduced to me when we were dating. I wanted Diamonds and Pearls to be the first dance song at our wedding in July 2015 because I felt like it was "our song." But it wasn't our first dance song because my husband disagreed. (That's a story in and of itself.) So I put it on the list of songs for the DJ to play at the reception. I never heard it. The DJ may have played it before I got to the wedding reception. I don't know. I should ask people. My husband and I danced to "You and I" by Stevie Wonder, and it was fitting, because I grew up with that song. I've listened to the Talking Book album from which You and I comes since I was a little girl. Stevie is my favourite musician of all time. Prince is a close second. But I still wish the first dance song had been Diamonds and Pearls. I wish that moment of our wedding had been a Prince-filled moment. It wasn't. That hurts. It would have been a perfect compliment to the purple flowers (our colors were ivory, purple, and silver). The fact that we didn't do the first dance to Diamonds and Pearls hurst even more because Prince is gone now. Oh well. It's over. It's done. Maybe when we have a 10th anniversary celebration, we can dance to it. But guess what, the song will never die! Prince's music will never die! (Thanks for bearing with me while I had this stream of consiousness moment.)

--

Now back to the book.

Do I wish I could bring Prince back. Yes.

Do I still think he had life left in him? Yes.

Do I think he was suffering at the end of his life. Yes.

Do I think he was in pain? Yes.

Do I think he was addicted to painkillers. It's entirely possible. And if he was? So what? It happens. Doesn't make him a bad person. It means he was sick and needed help. I think of addiction as a disease, not a character flaw. The character flaw comes from not seeking help for addiction. He wasn't the rock and roll musician who was strung out on drugs. Never was. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

--

He was a musician who dealt with a lot of pain. Before I read and finished this book, it bothered me that he was in pain.

It bothered me that his only child, his only beloved son, died.

It bothered me that he never had any other children, because I think that this was a dream unfulfilled. It bothered me that he didn't know how to seek help for his problems.

--

Guess what. These things don't bother me anymore. I still have the questions, but they don't consume me. I'm sad he lost his son, it breaks my heart. It does. There is nothing worse than losing a child.

--

I believe in God. I believe God has a plan. And part of God's plan is giving people free will. Prince made choices. He made a lot of good choices and he made a lot of BAD CHOICES. And he paid for the bad choices. They came back to bite him. What goes around comes around.

--

But the dream of having children that went unfulfilled? That was his fault. He and Mayte could have had more children. IF not biological, they could have adopted children. But they didn't. Why? Because Prince did Mayte dirty. He turned his back on her. He was unfaithful to her (at the very least emotionally, and possibly sexually).

--

A LOT OF THE ISSUES HE HAD LATER IN LIFE, HE BROUGHT THEM ON HIMSELF BY THE CHOICES THAT HE MADE.

The fact that he died alone in an elevator with his clothes on backwards and his socks inside out.

The fact that help didn't come fast enough and was too late to help him. The fact that he may have been lonely at the end of his life. He brought these on himself with his bad choices. He refused to seek help. He turned his back on the woman, Mayte, who would have stayed with him. He let her slip through his fingers because of his own flaws. He listened to Larry Graham instead of his wife. This man who told Mayte repeatedly " will never leave u," did not keep his word. He broke his promise to her. And guess what? He paid for it down the road.

Everything that happened between he and Manuela. He brought it on himself. Never should have become involved with her. Never should have married her. She was an opportunitst, still is, and she bit him big time. The $600,000+ that he owes Patrick Cousins, the divorce lawyer, his fault. All the money he paid to Mani in the divorce, his fault. HE BROUGHT HIM ON HIMSELF!!! He was a married man...YOU DON'T SEE OTHER WOMEN. You don't make a steamy video for the "Greatest Romance Ever Sold" while still married to Mayte. You don't disrespect your wife like that.

--

He lost all sympathy from me and a lot of respect for how he conducted himself in relationships, especially with Mayte, based on this book. But I'm glad I know the truth. I still love him. Still respect him in many areas, just not how he conducted himself in relationships. I won't stop being a fan. I'm listening to his music just as I did yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and for many years before this one.

--

I knew he was flawed before I read the book. I know he is flawed after reading the book. He was a flawed genius. I don't like all of the flaws. But he was human. He didn't kill ayone. He didn't rape anyone. He didn't abuse children. Those three things, I can't deal with those. I might listen to the person's music, but I can't really celebrate the person if he/she did any of those three things. He didn't do any of those things, so I can still be a fan of him. He did a lot of great things in his life. He was a musical genius. When he was a father, he was a fabulous father, and that warmed my heart. If having children was an unfulfilled dream of his, it was his fault. It was his fault that he didn't because he abandoned Mayte. He wrote to her, "if they're not your babies, ain't havin' none!" Whether he felt that way later in life or not, who knows. But he kept his word. As a husband, he had some good moments, but he blew it. He was flawed. He let his true love go.

--

I liked Mayte before I read the book. Respected her. Felt bad for her because of losing her son, the miscarriage, and losing her marriage. All these things, I still feel. I feel bad for Mayte that she had to go through all that crap with . But she seems to be in a good place in her life now, loving her second chance at motherhood. She's gotten a chance to tell her story. Things didn't end well for her and Prince. But that happens sometimes. It sucks that his bad choices had such a negative effect on her. But I have enormous love and respect for her. The book was phenomenal. She wrote it with class. It was a great read.

--

Even before I read the book, Prince's music told me that Mayte was the love of his life. Songs like "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," "Let's Have a Baby, "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife," and even "The One," make this clear to me. "Let's Have a Baby" and "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife," on their own stand out in feeling, depth, and devotion. To me, Mayte has a place in the Prince universe is alongside Sheila E, the Revolution, and the core members of the NPG. Prince's music proves that she was his true love. The love songs he wrote for her are unmatched and proof that of all the women he loved, he loved her the most intensely. She will always be a big part of his story.

Very well said!

bsprout said:

The way Mayte describes the 'handshake' metaphor in the book when referring to Prince's preferred girlfriend of the moment is chilling.

Yes, very much so! Chilling is a good word for it.

What you are essentially talking about is cause and effect..I get that. But I think his ill-conceived decisions when it comes to Mayte were the result of other cause and effects. I don't think her book would make me feel closure... because his time with Mayte was just a part of his life. He didn't die in 2006. And his death could have been avoided. What would have happened if he had gotten drug rehab and was forced to admit his vulnerability and lack of control over his life? His destiny would have been different. Unless he intentionally meant to kill himself, these actions done in a state of addiction or crisis weren't entirely in his hands. We have free will maybe...but we also make decisions based on an elaborate formula of circumstances, neurosis, perspectives, genetics etc that we ourselves don't understand. We might crave control like he did, but ultimately we don't really have it (unless we truely understand ourselves). I think maybe the overdose was either going to be a turning point in his life or the end of it. If the doctor had just made it there earlier it might have been the turning point.

Yes, the seeds for his demise (JW devotion, fear, stubbornness) were already there when Mayte knew him but there is more to his life and his relationships than how he let down mayte. There is ying and yang..good and bad in almost every life experience.. Once he settled into his religion with some consistency, he earned humility and peace at times while being a JW.. Maybe his religion at times was an opiate but he was still a living breathing and evolving man. He had ten more years of ups and downs after his second marriage in his life before his death...and his religious and personal beliefs were starting to segway a bit from his overzealous spiritual reaction to Amiir's death. I think he needed more time and true help to get better but he never got it. ...Was it his fault? Sure, I don't blame people who were pushed out of his life for his downfall. However I do blame enablers at least partly.

What's more upsetting?--losing someone to a tragedy that is not at all their fault? Or losing someone to their own unintentional self-destruction and delusion?

206Michelle said:

purplerabbithole,

I never said he deserved to die young. I never said it was a part of God's plan. It's not about deserving or not deserving, it's about how does a person address the cards that God/the universe/luck/fate/life gives to him or her. I've been trying to make sense of what happened to Prince, why he died so young (before he should have), why he died alone.

--

I believe that God gives us free will. So much in this world happens that I cannot explain. Bad things happen. Neutral things happen. Good things happen. So much of what happens is beyond my control. I can only control but so much. God gave people free will as a gift so that we can make choices about what to do with this one life that God gives us. This free will allows each of us to make this life our own. We can choose to honor God or dishonor God. We can choose to believe in God or not believe in God. God gives us free will so that we can make those choices. He doesn't force it upon us. So when it comes to situations in which I can make choices, the question is, How do I deal with those things in my life about which I can make a choice? How do I deal with those things in my life over which I have some control? How do I use this gift that God gave me called free will?

--

Like anyone else, Prince had good things happen to him. He had bad things happen to him. He had talents. He had flaws. Did he deserve to be a musical genius, to inherit the musical talents that he inherited? I don't know, I can't answer that. All I know is that whatever musical talent that God/nature/the universe gave to him, he made the choice to nurture and utilize that talent fully in order to make some of the greatest music that humankind has ever known.

--

When it came to love, he loved a lot of different women. One of those women was Mayte. The evidence -- his music, his letters, his behavior -- indicates to me that he had an incredibly deep love for her. He promised to never leave her. The two of them experienced some really difficult things, namely losing their son and a miscarriage. These things happened. had to make some choices about how he handled these incredibly difficult situations. Instead of trying to work throught things with Mayte, he made the choice to listen to Larry Graham, to join the Jehovah's Witness faith, and leave Mayte for another woman. This other woman, Manuela, ended up divorcing him. So the fact that he died alone, without a wife who might have intervened to help him, it's not whether he deserved it or not, but he chose the possibility of that outcome happening when he turned his back on his marriage to Mayte. A consequence was that he married Manuela, and Manuela ultimately left him. He made the choice to leave Mayte, and that choice had the consequence of ultimately leaving him single at the time when he died.

--

We all do things to contribute to our longevity or lack thereof based on the choices that we make. Some of us have genetic makeups that allow us to live longer than others. Genetic makeup is out of our control. All we can do is make the best of what we have. People who smoke often get lung cancer, which can lead to death. Prince made the choice to do all kinds of spiffy dance moves and tricks as a performer for many years. That was his choice. All of those performances he did also enriched the lives of millions of people, made him a very wealthy man, and made him one of the greatest musicians to ever live. But those performances also caused a lot of wear and tear on his body, and that wear and tear probably led him to use painkillers, and he died from an overdose of Fentanyl.

--

What Mayte's book has done is to help me understand more about Prince, to help me come closer to the truth about understanding why he behaved the say that he did in certain situations. From reading her book, I learned that more about how Prince dealth with the good things that happened to him and the bad things happenned in his life. Her book allowed me to better understand some of the choices that he made about things that occurred in his life. His choices in life did contribute to his untimely death, but his choices also led to him having a great legacy of musical contributions that will, hopefully, last until the end of time.

--

Her book has helped me to make better sense of his life, to give me a bit of closure. I would have gained closure eventually, because it's my job to do that, not hers. But she helped me come to that closure. Her book helped me to better understand him as a HUMAN BEING, and to understand how he used the free will that God gave him to create his life. Prince was flawed, and I don't agree with everything that he did. But I still love the man. He was a genius, a flawed genius. He was HUMAN. I still worship his guitar skills. I still love his music. I will still try to come up with ways to make conversations about Prince. Thanks to her book, I understand more about his life so that I don't have to spend a whole bunch of mental energy trying to fill in gaps that I cannot fill.

purplerabbithole said:

Are you saying he deserved to die young alone in an elevator because he brought it on himself? Part of God's plan? Somehow now less tragic? That's your closure. That's the honor that Mayte's book has brought Prince. No one deserves that. If that is something he did to himself then he needed real help. NOt enablers.

. Mayte was not the only person in his life. His time with her is only part of 57 years of life. She survived her ordeal. He did not.

You say you lost all sympathy for him but that you love him regardless because he wasn't a criminal basically and wrote good songs. WOW> But I would think with love comes sympathy. Prince was a bonehead (according to this book) and probably had mental illness, and Mayte suffered as a result, but I like to spread my sympathy out a little bit.

I like this review for the book...

5.0 out of 5 starsAll females should read this book!!!!!!

Bybecarefulon April 9, 2017

Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase

Love love this book!!!!!!!!
Every female from the ages of 16-35 should read this book.Never,ever depend on a man for your happiness.I don't think Prince was a bad person ,but I think he had some mental issues that needed to be addressed early on in his life.
I just adore Mayte for sharing her story.
Thank you!

I wish more people would see this book as a coming of age triumph for Mayte and a tragedy for Prince. If this book came out later and wasn't tied to his death (and pegged as an honor to him), then I would think that's exactly what this book intended to convey.

[Edited 4/9/17 10:01am]

[Edited 4/9/17 10:24am]

[Edited 4/9/17 10:26am]

[Edited 4/9/17 10:28am]

[Edited 4/9/17 14:35pm]

The book is excellent. I read it in 1.5 days. It is a labor of love - I truly believe that. I have no doubt that some of it is aspirational, rather than factual, but I understand. It is beautifully written and completely respectful.

He DID break his vows to her...and the karmic blow-back was monumental. I still can't wrap my head around how the JW's accepted adultery, cruelty, lack of responsibility, and deception as OK...Maybe Larry that great "spiritual' guide can explain...but I'm not holding my breath.

Really, your ideal of karma is extremely harsh. A death penalty for being a crappy *but not physically abusive** husband after an unimaginable loss.

He deserved to suffer for his mistakes (it can be good for you) but most certainly not with an early death and no second chance to save himself after the first overdose.

I am no JW fan but I think P's transition into religious zealousness was clumsy, extremely human and of course LG is no saint himself... Once he settled in a religious life, however, he was a bit kinder. From all accounts, Prince was a humbler man in the 2000's. And in the last five years of his life, he was less doctrinated into JW fundamentalist beliefs. Maybe he wasn't truely getting the help he needed but he was supposedly kinder and at times even pretty happy. He was coping..with a bit more grace/humility. Transitions can be ugly and sloppy and cruel sometimes especially when your social skills are a bit shaky and you are suffering a loss. Maybe Mayte was a stronger person than he was because she didn't need to live in a state of denial to cope. But Prince wasn't living on borrowed time after he screwed her over. His possible guilt about his behavior towards her might have actually caused him to be a bit kinder to others..(perhaps, he would have been this way without religion...its hard to say.)

I also wonder who the "Breakdown' was directed to...but whoever it was, Prince was willing to let someone else break him down for all the bad things he used to do.

Bodhitheblackdog said:

206Michelle said:

I just want to get this out of my head. I'll stay vague because I don't want to spoil the book for others. We all know how the story ends for Prince. Any details I spill on here have either (a) already been mentioned by others on this thread or (b) been the subject of a lot of speculation on prince.org.

--

First, I'm so glad I read this book. It was phenomenal. It wasn't Mayte's job to bring me closure. It's my job to figure that out for myself. But she made my job a hell of a lot easier.

--

Before reading this book, I had a lot of questions about Prince's death, and those questions bothered me, kept me up at night. At times, my wondering about Prince has consumed me. I've lost sleep over it.

Since I finished the book (less than 12 hours ago), do I still have questions? Yes.

Do I still think about what might have been? Yes. But I feel a lot of resolution, an inner peace, in my mind.

These questions and what-might-have-beens, the spiritual questions about fate and God's will and so forth, about why did he have to go through something as horrible as losing his son, these don't consume me the way that it they have for the past almost a year.

--

Am I sad Prince is gone? Yes. Every day. I never met him, but I MISS him. A small peice of my world left when he died. I have a number of memories tied to Prince, and I really liked his music before he died. But I was a casual fan. Had some of his songs, but none of his albums (not even Purple Rain, and there's a story behind why I didn't buy it.) Since he died, I've become obsessed. And it comes down to mainly one song that he wrote: Diamonds and Pearls. The man who created the song "Diamonds and Pearls," a song which has SO MUCH personal significance to me, is gone. This is a song that my husband introduced to me when we were dating. I wanted Diamonds and Pearls to be the first dance song at our wedding in July 2015 because I felt like it was "our song." But it wasn't our first dance song because my husband disagreed. (That's a story in and of itself.) So I put it on the list of songs for the DJ to play at the reception. I never heard it. The DJ may have played it before I got to the wedding reception. I don't know. I should ask people. My husband and I danced to "You and I" by Stevie Wonder, and it was fitting, because I grew up with that song. I've listened to the Talking Book album from which You and I comes since I was a little girl. Stevie is my favourite musician of all time. Prince is a close second. But I still wish the first dance song had been Diamonds and Pearls. I wish that moment of our wedding had been a Prince-filled moment. It wasn't. That hurts. It would have been a perfect compliment to the purple flowers (our colors were ivory, purple, and silver). The fact that we didn't do the first dance to Diamonds and Pearls hurst even more because Prince is gone now. Oh well. It's over. It's done. Maybe when we have a 10th anniversary celebration, we can dance to it. But guess what, the song will never die! Prince's music will never die! (Thanks for bearing with me while I had this stream of consiousness moment.)

--

Now back to the book.

Do I wish I could bring Prince back. Yes.

Do I still think he had life left in him? Yes.

Do I think he was suffering at the end of his life. Yes.

Do I think he was in pain? Yes.

Do I think he was addicted to painkillers. It's entirely possible. And if he was? So what? It happens. Doesn't make him a bad person. It means he was sick and needed help. I think of addiction as a disease, not a character flaw. The character flaw comes from not seeking help for addiction. He wasn't the rock and roll musician who was strung out on drugs. Never was. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong.

--

He was a musician who dealt with a lot of pain. Before I read and finished this book, it bothered me that he was in pain.

It bothered me that his only child, his only beloved son, died.

It bothered me that he never had any other children, because I think that this was a dream unfulfilled. It bothered me that he didn't know how to seek help for his problems.

--

Guess what. These things don't bother me anymore. I still have the questions, but they don't consume me. I'm sad he lost his son, it breaks my heart. It does. There is nothing worse than losing a child.

--

I believe in God. I believe God has a plan. And part of God's plan is giving people free will. Prince made choices. He made a lot of good choices and he made a lot of BAD CHOICES. And he paid for the bad choices. They came back to bite him. What goes around comes around.

--

But the dream of having children that went unfulfilled? That was his fault. He and Mayte could have had more children. IF not biological, they could have adopted children. But they didn't. Why? Because Prince did Mayte dirty. He turned his back on her. He was unfaithful to her (at the very least emotionally, and possibly sexually).

--

A LOT OF THE ISSUES HE HAD LATER IN LIFE, HE BROUGHT THEM ON HIMSELF BY THE CHOICES THAT HE MADE.

The fact that he died alone in an elevator with his clothes on backwards and his socks inside out.

The fact that help didn't come fast enough and was too late to help him. The fact that he may have been lonely at the end of his life. He brought these on himself with his bad choices. He refused to seek help. He turned his back on the woman, Mayte, who would have stayed with him. He let her slip through his fingers because of his own flaws. He listened to Larry Graham instead of his wife. This man who told Mayte repeatedly " will never leave u," did not keep his word. He broke his promise to her. And guess what? He paid for it down the road.

Everything that happened between he and Manuela. He brought it on himself. Never should have become involved with her. Never should have married her. She was an opportunitst, still is, and she bit him big time. The $600,000+ that he owes Patrick Cousins, the divorce lawyer, his fault. All the money he paid to Mani in the divorce, his fault. HE BROUGHT HIM ON HIMSELF!!! He was a married man...YOU DON'T SEE OTHER WOMEN. You don't make a steamy video for the "Greatest Romance Ever Sold" while still married to Mayte. You don't disrespect your wife like that.

--

He lost all sympathy from me and a lot of respect for how he conducted himself in relationships, especially with Mayte, based on this book. But I'm glad I know the truth. I still love him. Still respect him in many areas, just not how he conducted himself in relationships. I won't stop being a fan. I'm listening to his music just as I did yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and for many years before this one.

--

I knew he was flawed before I read the book. I know he is flawed after reading the book. He was a flawed genius. I don't like all of the flaws. But he was human. He didn't kill ayone. He didn't rape anyone. He didn't abuse children. Those three things, I can't deal with those. I might listen to the person's music, but I can't really celebrate the person if he/she did any of those three things. He didn't do any of those things, so I can still be a fan of him. He did a lot of great things in his life. He was a musical genius. When he was a father, he was a fabulous father, and that warmed my heart. If having children was an unfulfilled dream of his, it was his fault. It was his fault that he didn't because he abandoned Mayte. He wrote to her, "if they're not your babies, ain't havin' none!" Whether he felt that way later in life or not, who knows. But he kept his word. As a husband, he had some good moments, but he blew it. He was flawed. He let his true love go.

--

I liked Mayte before I read the book. Respected her. Felt bad for her because of losing her son, the miscarriage, and losing her marriage. All these things, I still feel. I feel bad for Mayte that she had to go through all that crap with . But she seems to be in a good place in her life now, loving her second chance at motherhood. She's gotten a chance to tell her story. Things didn't end well for her and Prince. But that happens sometimes. It sucks that his bad choices had such a negative effect on her. But I have enormous love and respect for her. The book was phenomenal. She wrote it with class. It was a great read.

--

Even before I read the book, Prince's music told me that Mayte was the love of his life. Songs like "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World," "Let's Have a Baby, "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife," and even "The One," make this clear to me. "Let's Have a Baby" and "Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother/Wife," on their own stand out in feeling, depth, and devotion. To me, Mayte has a place in the Prince universe is alongside Sheila E, the Revolution, and the core members of the NPG. Prince's music proves that she was his true love. The love songs he wrote for her are unmatched and proof that of all the women he loved, he loved her the most intensely. She will always be a big part of his story.

Thanks for sharing this, my thoughts exactly. He never wrote songs for other women that had the depth, passion, gratitude and joy of those songs he wrote for Mayte. Especially important to note is that with science (also from God) and/or adoption he could have been a father of healthy children. laws of the universe always prevail.

[Edited 4/9/17 14:47pm]

[Edited 4/9/17 14:49pm]

[Edited 4/9/17 14:53pm]

[Edited 4/9/17 14:56pm]

If everyone is ready we can move to Chapter 5.

PennyPurple said:

If everyone is ready we can move to Chapter 5.

Chapter 5 First impressions....

In this chapter is where she tells of P becoming her legal guardian for 6 months so she could travel with him (her parents were still in Germany). But she says she was completely oblivious to this at the time and the document came as a surprise to her — just a few weeks ago.

.

So she found out sometime in the last 9 months or so… I wonder what lead her to find this document now? Where was it? Maybe she talked to her parents about it and was just shown it recently? Maybe her parents didn’t want her to know about it? How she came upon this document after so many years is curious to me.

.

Anyone else have the same quesitons?

I'm going by my own personal experience with my ex. He married me, promised me forever, wanted to have a child. They say all the right things, isoolate you and manipulate you emotionally.

I see so many similarities. His father left and he had a fear of abandment. He feared I would leave, so he pushed me away instead. I eventually got the strength to leave.

Even though I learned I was emotionally abused, he too was the love of my life.

He rebounded within weeks. He can't be alone, is in love with love. How many times was Prince engaged quickly before and after Mayte?

I don't hold this against Prince. Childhood left him unable to handle a fully committed relatiobship, whether he was truly in love or not. That's the way I see it. You have a right to disagree.

purplerabbithole said:

Why was he manipulative? Was it just that He just wanted to get this girl in the sack at 19 because he knew eventually he would be able to ruin a highly lucrative career as a belly dancer, marry her and use his defective genes to give her the biggest heartbreak of her life.

Maybe he meant that soulmate stuff at the time he said it but couldn't proceed right away because of her age and other circumstances. As for the other women, I really don't know what he told them. Obviously, he thought he was in for the long haul with Mayte. They knew each ten years, got married and attempted to have kids twice.

LoriJ said:

I think manipulative is another appropiate word.

[Edited 4/9/17 15:54pm]

[Edited 4/9/17 15:55pm]

Chapter 5 take-aways

DD55 said:

Chapter 5 also covers the Power of attorney document. His legal team are the ones that wanted it. She was 17 1/2, it had her father signature on it and allowed her to travel by herself, work on films, dance and other projects at all hours during the day or night.

.

Prince did NOT adopt her.

206Michelle said:

sorry your image is tarnished. But keep in mind, that his side is still unknown and people change and evolve. To make you feel better, I would go read the GQ article on Prince put together by his friends/associates. THe accounts of his more humbled later days might move you to forgiveness. He doesn't come off saintly in the article, but I liked the guy they were talking about. He was funny and quietly charitable, sometimes a bit of a pill but colorful and very human.

ButterfliesAllTiedUp said:

206Michelle said:

LBrent, I share your sentiments. I think we are struggling to adequately express what we are feeling about him, but I get the feeling that what you described and what I described is more or less the same experience that we are struggling to express.

*************** I am right there with you both. I struggled all year long with the sadness of him passing away being left with so many unanswered questions (many that were none of my business, but as a fan, I was always curious to find out more about this genius). He was the unicorn of my life musically and I thought he would live a long life based on the perception of his healthy lifestyle. I will share that the book colored my opinion/tarnished my image of him (not Mayte's fault) and kind if left me feeling brokenhearted and disappointed. I was sad for a few days afterwards because I felt my trip to Minneaplois for the tribute concert and how I basically annoyed the hell out of the Chanhassen city council to zone PP as a museum and promised as fams, we would not destroy their city and that my efforts were all in vain. I guess I was saddened that despite his near perfect image as a musical talent, he was very flawed as a human being/partner. Although grateful for her honesty and for filling in the gaps that the media and internet couldnt, it just sucked that all this new knowledge totally busted my happy purple bubble! The upside is that their deep love for each other was moving!

PennyPurple said:

Chapter 5 also covers the Power of attorney document. His legal team are the ones that wanted it. She was 17 1/2, it had her father signature on it and allowed her to travel by herself, work on films, dance and other projects at all hours during the day or night.

.

Prince did NOT adopt her.

Penny, I agree, it was a POA document. My questiion was - what prompted her to find this document in 2016 after all these years?

~~DD55

DD55 said:

Chapter 5 take-aways

She tells him about her dad and his girlfriend; her dad brought his girlfriend to a gig and she was not happy about that. Prince says ‘there’s this thing called discretion and savior faire’. Funny how prince says discretion is needed but doesn’t say that it is wrong in the first place for a married man to have a girlfriend. (Especially to bring your girlfriend to your teenage daughters performance!)

.

On the video shoot he called her Martha. Didn’t he refer to a Martha in a few songs? Wonder why he likes that name.

.

Lisa Bonet directed a video for him. (MG doesn’t say which video.) Wasn’t she Lenny’s wife or ex wife by that time? Is this the same person? (Bonet and Kravitz divorced April 12, 1993) Did I read that correctly?

.

Prince was an inventor with a patent!

.

Prince was romantically involved with Lori Elle, aka Diamond.

Yup, same Lisa Bonet

LOVED the info about the patent and if you Google there are patent documents and schematics online uder "Prince's purple keytar patent".

ButterfliesAllTiedUp said:

206Michelle said:

LBrent, I share your sentiments. I think we are struggling to adequately express what we are feeling about him, but I get the feeling that what you described and what I described is more or less the same experience that we are struggling to express.

*************** I am right there with you both. I struggled all year long with the sadness of him passing away being left with so many unanswered questions (many that were none of my business, but as a fan, I was always curious to find out more about this genius). He was the unicorn of my life musically and I thought he would live a long life based on the perception of his healthy lifestyle. I will share that the book colored my opinion/tarnished my image of him (not Mayte's fault) and kind if left me feeling brokenhearted and disappointed. I was sad for a few days afterwards because I felt my trip to Minneaplois for the tribute concert and how I basically annoyed the hell out of the Chanhassen city council to zone PP as a museum and promised as fams, we would not destroy their city and that my efforts were all in vain. I guess I was saddened that despite his near perfect image as a musical talent, he was very flawed as a human being/partner. Although grateful for her honesty and for filling in the gaps that the media and internet couldnt, it just sucked that all this new knowledge totally busted my happy purple bubble! The upside is that their deep love for each other was moving!

I'm sorry P's image was tarnished for you, too.

To be clear, My image of P isn't tarnished and although I'm disappointed in some of his decisions, I'm not heartbroken by what was in the book. Annoyed and frustrated at certain points for sure, but the only heartbreak came for me on 4/21.

I loved him before listening to it and, if anything, I love him even more afterwards.

I never looked to redeem P, nor searched for redeeming qualities or such. Those things were already a part of who he was and what I saw in him. He was what he was and that was part of why I loved him.

NotACleverName said:

DD55 said:

DD55 said:

bsprout said:

DD55 said:

Chapter 5 take-aways

She tells him about her dad and his girlfriend; her dad brought his girlfriend to a gig and she was not happy about that. Prince says ‘there’s this thing called discretion and savior faire’. Funny how prince says discretion is needed but doesn’t say that it is wrong in the first place for a married man to have a girlfriend. (Especially to bring your girlfriend to your teenage daughters performance!)

.

On the video shoot he called her Martha. Didn’t he refer to a Martha in a few songs? Wonder why he likes that name.

.

Lisa Bonet directed a video for him. (MG doesn’t say which video.) Wasn’t she Lenny’s wife or ex wife by that time? Is this the same person? (Bonet and Kravitz divorced April 12, 1993) Did I read that correctly?

.

Prince was an inventor with a patent!

.

Prince was romantically involved with Lori Elle, aka Diamond.

There is one hook up I don't get 😎

Isn't that the same gal that was on the Joan Rivers shw with Vanity and Joan asked if D&/orP had been "more" to P and the one gal kept hemming & hawing?

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay with the timeline. Part 4 starts now.

~~~~

Just to refresh everyone, chapter three ends with this:

August 8-9, 1990 – Mayte and Prince meet at a concert in Mannheim, Germany, and the two start to become acquainted with each other.

Mayte also mentions at the very end of the chapter that she has many, but not all, of the tapes, letters, and drawings that Prince gave her. She states that he destroyed some of these items years later, along with everything that was hers or that reminded him or her or their son. She also notes that she did not witness when he destroyed these items.

--

Chapter four timeline/summary

August 12, 1990 – Prince writes Mayte a letter, and begins the letter by saying “Dearest Arabia.” He thanks her for sending him a present (probably a videotape of her dancing) and thanks her for coming into his world. Mayte comments that Prince tried to name her Arabia, but she was not having that.

--

Summer 1990 – Mayte discusses that she never called him Prince, what their relationship was like at the beginning, as well as what Prince’s artistic world was like when she entered in in 1990.

--

Summer 1990 – Prince invites Mayte and her mom to see him perform in Switzerland, and has his people make travel arrangements for Mayte and Mama. Prince is not feeling very well, but he and Mayte spend time together in his hotel room, where they discuss the origins of her name and she makes him a cup of tea. Mayte describes what she is feeling as infatuation. Prince follows up their visit by sending her tapes of his music and asking her to dance to the music., and send him the tapes of her dancing. She states that the relationship at this point in time was not sexual in nature.

--

Summer and fall of 1990 – Prince continues to call her several times per week. Mayte recounts that at this point in time, she was busy dancing at restaurants and at various events. She was also preparing for an exam that would allow her to continue dancing professionally in Germany after she graduated from high school. She and Prince continue to correspond by sending each other tapes of each other’s work.

--

November/December 1990 – Mayte turns 17. The movie Grafitti Bridge is released. She and Prince continue to send each other packages and correspond via phone. Prince sends her a package with the initial concept for what would become the song “7.”

--

Last week of December 1990 – Prince asks Mayte to travel to Minnesota and visit him. She does, and it is her first trip to Paisey Park and to his house in Chanhassen. Mayte goes into detail about the changes that Prince would periodically make to the house and to Paisley Park over the time that they were together. She sees the doves and Paisley the cat. Thay hang out together over a few days. He takes her for a drive in his Jeep Cherokee around Chanhassen and Minneapolis and they listen to the Diamonds and Pearls album. They go to the movie theatre to see The Godfather III.

DD55 said:

206Michelle said:

LBrent, I share your sentiments. I think we are struggling to adequately express what we are feeling about him, but I get the feeling that what you described and what I described is more or less the same experience that we are struggling to express.

Brent and 206Michelle, very good posts.

.

I don’t think ppl are just focusing on negative or the flaws only, it’s just that the book is new, just released on April 4th. Some people read it the first day, others are still reading.

.

Those of us who have read the book, after we finish reading, we have to put it down and have to take a deep breath. It feels like time is suspended in the air for a minute (I know that doesn’t make sense, i’ll rewrite when I can think of something else.) You just need time for it to sink in.

.

Now as for comments that are or perceived negatively, I think many of us (especially women) just ache for this couple and what they endured. It’s hitting us emotionally BECAUSE we love him. Someone else said it better, we wish we could go in a time machine to warn them. We are just discussing the events as she described them from her point of view as she reflects back on her life.

.

Might want to give him a smack in the head, but...

No one will love him less after reading the book!!!! and...

His place in history and his legacy will not be tarnished!!!

.

We just got a tiny peek into a small portion of his life and a little bit of understanding about his life, that’s all. Because it is so fresh in our minds it’s getting more weight than it will have 6 months from now. We’ll look back and remember a sad story, but won’t say or think anything negatively about Prince.

.

OK, OK, I admit, some of us still might be willing to meet at the corner of Rose and Beach. But that’s another topic.

DD55, I agree with all of your points, especially the ones I bolded. I felt the same way when I finished reading the book -- I took a few minutes to let it all sink in, to take inventory of all that I just learned and experienced. Reading this book is definitely an experience.

.

My heart breaks for & M, for what they went through, and for Amiir (May God rest his soul). You are right, my heart aches because I loved what they were together. They were beautiful and there was so much love between them. wrote some of his most beautiful songs about Mayte.

.

I definitely do want to slap him, and give him a good butt whuppin' for some of his bad choices, especially related to him abandoning Mayte. Still love him, though, flaws and all.

.

I'm grateful for this book and for what I learned and experienced by reading it. It made me think not only about Mayte, Prince, and Amiir, but about life -- namely, about God, about free will, about what I can and cannot control, and about the ability to make choices and the consequences of choices.

LBrent said:

Well done Mayte,it was an easy read with boat loads of history. Mayte is a strong beautiful woman and prince was lucky to have her in his life.thank you for the book

DD55 said:

LBrent said: