My relationship with Prince has not changed one bit. The music is still there for me to listen to and enjoy just as it always has been.

I have gone through Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, at various times, but am now back at denial. I don't want to believe that he is gone. I don't know if/when I'll ever reach the acceptance stage. I know I will eventually, as will we all, but in the meantime, it just hurts.

.

I knew it would hurt when Prince passed, but I did not expect it to be like this. He touched my life in so many ways, so many things that I feel so much gratitude towards him for, and his music has been there through so many difficult times in my life. I expected it to hurt. But this, it goes beyond pain. This still makes me catch my breath and scream inside. How can someone so beautiful, so vibrant, so energized, so magnificent be there one day and gone the next? It's the suddeness of it all and having no answers, thus no closure. I think along with the denial is some anger that keeps wanting to boil u and I am not usually someone that experiences or expresses anger. But I am definitely feeling that now, too.

Denial - Yeap, I keep saying I can't believe he is gone.

For some reason I was shocked but not surprised.

No bargaining on my part.

No depression, as I feel he gave his all. He accomplished his mission in life. He brought people together through his music. And now his memories are still bringing us together.

No anger. He lived his life under his own terms, he did what he wanted when he wanted. He knew true freedom. He was alway true to himself. He even owned his bad decisions.

I had a dream where he just smiled at me and shook his head, as if to say, "You are so worried about me, what I felt, what I did, what I did not do. Well you are still living. What are you waiting for? You act like you have 2 lifetimes. I had a vault and you still have not learned how to play the piano... "

And acceptance was born.....

To honor him and all that he gave to me, I have decided to learn to play piano

Play in the Sunshine, Prince.

just over 2 weeks later - acceptance.

.

Prince's place & importance in my life was sealed YEARS ago - back in the mid 80s.

I suppose for me it's different. I stopped actively & enthusiastically listening to Prince's music in about 1998 - when "new power soul" came out. after that, I literally played Prince's CLASSIC/great/"old music" - 1978-87 - maybe twice a year.

I simply didn't appreciate what Prince had become.

.

since his passing, though, I have been playing only his music. I even "discovered" & started liking 1 of his more "recent" songs - "reflexion".

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even all of his classics that I've always loved - I hadn't played most of them in A LONG TIME.

so.. playing all this great "old" music - it's like I'm discovering Prince all over again.

.

I'm finding that I appreciate him now more than before.

.

I play all the great, old songs with no problem. I cried the other day listening to the "live" version of Purple Rain from that '85 show in Syracuse NY..

& I still can't get all the way through "sometimes it snows in April"..

.

that's probably going to take some time.

just over 2 weeks later - acceptance.

.

Prince's place & importance in my life was sealed YEARS ago - back in the mid 80s.

I suppose for me it's different. I stopped actively & enthusiastically listening to Prince's music in about 1998 - when "new power soul" came out. after that, I literally played Prince's CLASSIC/great/"old music" - 1978-87 - maybe twice a year.

I simply didn't appreciate what Prince had become.

.

since his passing, though, I have been playing only his music. I even "discovered" & started liking 1 of his more "recent" songs - "reflexion".

.

even all of his classics that I've always loved - I hadn't played most of them in A LONG TIME.

so.. playing all this great "old" music - it's like I'm discovering Prince all over again.

.

I'm finding that I appreciate him now more than before.

.

I play all the great, old songs with no problem. I cried the other day listening to the "live" version of Purple Rain from that '85 show in Syracuse NY..

& I still can't get all the way through "sometimes it snows in April"..

.

that's probably going to take some time.

I've accepted it......I think. Depends on the day and the hour. I put my life on pause right after it happened. I was glued to this forum and the tv for days. I took a break and got back into my normal routine. Tonight when things slowed down I was thinking to myself "I can't believe Prince is dead" and felt that pit in my stomach. It still almost feels like it's just a bad dream.

.

When a close friend or family member dies we immediately feel and see the physical loss. It puts a finality to it. I don't personally know Prince nor do I see him on a daily basis. It feels like any other quiet period of his career. Except this time there will not be any new announcements for a show or a "new" project. It's hard to put into words what I mean but I think you get the idea.

Anger. I am VIBRATING with anger. I can't sleep I'm so angry! HOW could this happen?!?!?!?!? Where were the people who were supposed to be watching him and taking care of him?! And why wasn't he talking care of himself?!?!?!?!?! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!?!?! I'm so furious! I'm so pissed off!!!!

SmiggyG said:

I've accepted it......I think. Depends on the day and the hour. I put my life on pause right after it happened. I was glued to this forum and the tv for days. I took a break and got back into my normal routine. Tonight when things slowed down I was thinking to myself "I can't believe Prince is dead" and felt that pit in my stomach. It still almost feels like it's just a bad dream.

.

When a close friend or family member dies we immediately feel and see the physical loss. It puts a finality to it. I don't personally know Prince nor do I see him on a daily basis. It feels like any other quiet period of his career. Except this time there will not be any new announcements for a show or a "new" project. It's hard to put into words what I mean but I think you get the idea.

Same feelings...

I've accepted it and am back to functioning normally. For me it was all about the music, and nothing will change in that regard. Albums will continue to be released, and I will continue buying and enjoying them. It's not like I had a chance to see him in person all that often, and I didn't follow him through social media, so that makes it easier to deal with.

I can listen to his music again without getting emotional, although most of the songs I've listened to are upbeat and fun.

But some things still trigger emotion, such as that GM ad ... still gets me emotional, not sure why to be honest.

For all of yah.

Guitarhero said:

daniorU said:

SmiggyG said:

I've accepted it......I think. Depends on the day and the hour. I put my life on pause right after it happened. I was glued to this forum and the tv for days. I took a break and got back into my normal routine. Tonight when things slowed down I was thinking to myself "I can't believe Prince is dead" and felt that pit in my stomach. It still almost feels like it's just a bad dream.

.

When a close friend or family member dies we immediately feel and see the physical loss. It puts a finality to it. I don't personally know Prince nor do I see him on a daily basis. It feels like any other quiet period of his career. Except this time there will not be any new announcements for a show or a "new" project. It's hard to put into words what I mean but I think you get the idea.

Same feelings...

I feel the same. I am still very sad.

I don't know? I think it will be a while before I can really accept there are no more concerts. But I am finding Prince all over again. Its been fun looking on Ebyay for NPG and Madhouse cd's. I had to put my collection together and I have a special place for it. I just found out that I have 2 copies of the extened version of the Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

No more anger

Some denial...

Some tears....

Some acceptance

.

I danced my arse off repeatedly to All the Critics love you in Montreux this afternoon. Funk forever!

I love Prince. Whether he's here or not.

I still feel sad when I think about how he's not here anymore, but I do find more happy moments as of late when i think about all that he has left behind in his music and his messages.
These days I find myself thinking more about him being in a better place. I think about him being with Boy Gregory and other loved ones of his that have passed on and I feel peace. I think of him being a part of the energy that is God and everything and I feel acceptance.
At least I have seemed to stop crying for the past week now. It also comforts me to think that if given the choice he would not come back to this place.
Progress...

I went back to the Fox for a Mother's Day Kirk Franklin concert Sunday and I admit it was difficult to be in the moment because I kept looking at where Prince was on the stage behind his piano only weeks before. My mom and I were seated in the balcony on Sunday and I kept looking at the seat that I had in the front row on the night of the concert. I kept replaying touching his hand. It was a bit difficult. There was even a moment I had to excuse myself and go to the restroom to pull it together. I felt so silly.
I hadn't really planned to go back to the Fox anytime soon, but my mom really wanted to see Kirk Franklin and I'm glad she enjoyed herself.

[Edited 5/10/16 13:01pm]

You know, it might sound crazy, but (realizing we don't yet know the truth as to how he died) if the rumors are true about the drug overdose, I'm in the pisssed phase (so anger, I suppose.) I honestly felt that way over the weekend. If it was an overdose, it's such a pointless waste of life. It made me angry that he died in such a "pedestrian" manner. If that makes any sense. This was some guy who always touted clean living, eating healthy, etc. etc. and I don't know the details, and if it was for pain I can completely understand, but all I could come back to was "He DIED because of THIS?" and it makes me pissed. Hopefully that makes sense...

I don't know where I am - it all just seems to be the same to me. I am still crying. I still cannot listen to slow songs. I know if I throw myself into work and stuff I am OK and can function but then not sure if that is me being in denial. I just don't want it to be true. I just want him back and it hurts so fucking bad. I can only describe it as heartbreak.

this may sound ridiculous... but i'm really sad that i couldn't help him in some way

I'm in this weird phase of denial that has brought me a lot of peace. I love him soooo much and i miss him sooo much and I feel sad that he felt the need to fake his death and go live on some purple private island all by himself but I can deal with that. At least he's happy.

Acceptance. Finally. It's been a rough 3 weeks.

[Edited 5/11/16 10:22am]

It wasn't easy, but I've now accepted it. I was born in 1986, and by then, my mother was already a huge Prince fan, so this man's music and films have been a part of my life ALWAYS. It feels like I've lost a dear friend, and I cried for days. He wasn't without his own issues and faults, and there are certainly things about him that I don't believe I'll ever agree with, but I still adore him and miss him terribly.

I've been able to somehow find peace in knowing that whatever was going on with him, whatever struggles, whatever hurt him; it's all finally over. None of us are immortal, but especially those like Prince... They're never meant to stay with us as long as we'd like them to. They make the biggest impact on our lives, and once they've given us all they could give, they go. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm not religious or spiritual in the slightest sense, but maybe it's just their way of saying, "It's your turn now. What did you learn from what I've taught you?" And Prince continues to teach me so much, particularly on inner strength and self-confidence. I'm thankful that I went along for the ride.

[Edited 5/11/16 10:37am]

[Edited 5/11/16 10:38am]

Prince was a massive part of my teenage years, so I'm understandably still depressed about it. But I feel I had some kind of acceptance about it last night by finally hanging up on my wall a beautiful custom portrait that a wonderful ex-girlfriend (and still a very special friend) did for me for one of my birthdays. So, Prince will always live on my wall. And yes, that is felt material for the mic stand

[Edited 5/11/16 12:46pm]

This painting really means even more to me since April 21.

[Edited 5/11/16 12:47pm]

Okay. I just hit anger. This is some bullshit.

Well, I've stopped saying "this was not supposed to happen" randomly to "I'm really going to miss him", I still feel like it shouldn't have happened but it did. Where ever that is that where I am.

I go back and forth. Some days I feel on the brink of reaching acceptance. Other days I feel like I'm in bargaining mode. Certain songs can erase any perceived progress in this awful situation. If it was meant to be for Prince to leave as much as I and all his other fans would love for him to stay - it was his time. I pray he didn't suffer and it was quick. While his physical self is no longer here, his spirit is all over the place. I'm sure he would be touched by all the love and support he received. I never got to see him live but I feel comfort in knowing that I lived during his time. His music is here and I will continue with it. He leaves one hell of a set of footprints to fill.

Has anyone here folded up into a corner and yelled "i just want him back!!" and then sobbing uncontrolably? I started that yesturday, and then again this morning. It feels like my life is over! Madness!

heaven help me.

Acceptance...Looking back I think his death has been even sadder than MJ and Whitney...I liked them and miss them, but Prince was like family. This one is hard.