https://www.facebook.com/thepurplestream/photos/a.500761616730057.1073741830.496769827129236/691910770948473/?type=3&theater

Just came across this pic on FB, from either his last show or one of his last. Never before had I seen that sadness in his eyes, especially not while doing what he loved most.
This image really got to me...

same look he had since the first time he performed purple rain, which he is performing in this very picture, i believe we are all projecting onto these pictures based on the events that have transpired.

We know he wasn't well. Clearly, it showed.

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

leadline said:

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

Perhaps you're right. I know his expressions well, but that photo seems different, somehow. Perhaps the fact that his face is thinner on that one contributed to the feeling I got.

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

There are some people here who insist on the following:

Prince knew his death was coming

Prince had a terminal illness

Prince was saying goodbye to his fans at the Atlanta show

No, no, no,no is all i keep saying. I will just wait here for another thread like this one to start. hopefully the mods will start deleting these speculation threads.

wayhome said:

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

There are some people here who insist on the following:

Prince knew his death was coming

Prince had a terminal illness

Prince was saying goodbye to his fans at the Atlanta show

No, no, no,no is all i keep saying. I will just wait here for another thread like this one to start. hopefully the mods will start deleting these speculation threads.

You are very wrong, i do not insist in any of that. You got me all wrong. This was not meant as a speculation thread. I came across this pic and decided to share. Who are you to judge me like that?
Mods, feel free to delete this thread. I am done posting.

Who are you to judge me like that?

Really, just pionting out that spectulating on this stuff is senseless and wierd.

You could take a millisecond from every other show he's ever done and get a "sad" face as well.

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He didn't seem sad during that show, except for all the angry, heartache songs in the 2nd set. I was there up front and he was smiling a lot and enjoying the funk, like we were.

Leadline said it best: that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

FunkiestOne said:

You could take a millisecond from every other show he's ever done and get a "sad" face as well.

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He didn't seem sad during that show, except for all the angry, heartache songs in the 2nd set. I was there up front and he was smiling a lot and enjoying the funk, like we were.

Thank you.

wayhome said:

Leadline said it best: that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

Yes, and i read that, and I'm glad he did, oh so very glad, believe me! Just clears this for me. I wasn't at the show and don't remember reading he was in such high spirits. Just don't put words in my mouth, please, cause i don't defend any of the things you said above.

He certainly doesn't look his usual self on that photo, perhaps tired and very thin indeed, but he has always been on the thin side imo. And he was getting older too, everyone starts looking different when they age. That's life. But it is normal to feel sad when looking at it especially because there are still so many questions on our minds, and a lot of us are willingly or not looking for the answers. And that too is life and part of being human.

Prince has looked different for the last three four years to me...his eyes were always expressive though. I think he was just sick and looking for ways to be better. He was still hansome though at 57 But yes he knew something was wrong.

wayhome said:

CherryMoon57 said:

He certainly doesn't look his usual self on that photo, perhaps tired and very thin indeed, but he has always been on the thin side imo. And he was getting older too, everyone starts looking different when they age. That's life. But it is normal to feel sad when looking at it especially because there are still so many questions on our minds, and a lot of us are willingly or not looking for the answers. And that too is life and part of being human.

Thank you. I appreciate your comment.

wayhome said:

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

There are some people here who insist on the following:

Prince knew his death was coming

Prince had a terminal illness

Prince was saying goodbye to his fans at the Atlanta show

.

The OP did not make nor necessarily infer any of the statements you associated with them (above in bold). That was a bit hyperreactive and unfair to put words in MMjas's mouth like that.

.

This is a fan site. Why would mods delete this thread? I didn't read much in the way of any speculation into the OP. It was one person's observation & opinion of Prince's expression in the photo. And even if it was speculation, a fan has that right to do that in this forum. It wasn't anything disrespectful to Prince or intentionally inflammatory. You are not required to like it or agree with it.

.

For a good example of irresponsible, baseless speculation, read McD's thread equating June and heroin. That was a basic hatchet piece and even I didn't recommend that it be deleted. I and others addressed it and moved on. I suggest you do the same instead of spending time here leaning on Org members that appear to be still dealing with their grief.

.

Have a .

Bluu said:

wayhome said:

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

There are some people here who insist on the following:

Prince knew his death was coming

Prince had a terminal illness

Prince was saying goodbye to his fans at the Atlanta show

.

The OP did not make nor necessarily infer any of the statements you associated with them (above in bold). That was a bit hyperreactive and unfair to put words in MMjas's mouth like that.

.

This is a fan site. Why would mods delete this thread? I didn't read much in the way of any speculation into the OP. It was one person's observation & opinion of Prince's expression in the photo. And even if it was speculation, a fan has that right to do that in this forum. It wasn't anything disrespectful to Prince or intentionally inflammatory. You are not required to like it or agree with it.

.

For a good example of irresponsible, baseless speculation, read McD's thread equating June and heroin. That was a basic hatchet piece and even I didn't recommend that it be deleted. I and others addressed it and moved on. I suggest you do the same instead of spending time here leaning on Org members that appear to be still dealing with their grief.

.

Have a .

Thank you.

Bluu said:

wayhome said:

Prince performing purple rain in 1986, same sad eyes, shall we all assume he knew in this photo he was gonna check out in 2016? Or are the sad eyes simply because he is performing Purple Rain? Prince has a very expressive face, he feels the music, that is all that was happening in Atlanta. A few songs earlier he was joking with the crowd, dancing while playing, and even ran around the piano a few times.

There are some people here who insist on the following:

Prince knew his death was coming

Prince had a terminal illness

Prince was saying goodbye to his fans at the Atlanta show

.

The OP did not make nor necessarily infer any of the statements you associated with them (above in bold). That was a bit hyperreactive and unfair to put words in MMjas's mouth like that.

.

This is a fan site. Why would mods delete this thread? I didn't read much in the way of any speculation into the OP. It was one person's observation & opinion of Prince's expression in the photo. And even if it was speculation, a fan has that right to do that in this forum. It wasn't anything disrespectful to Prince or intentionally inflammatory. You are not required to like it or agree with it.

.

For a good example of irresponsible, baseless speculation, read McD's thread equating June and heroin. That was a basic hatchet piece and even I didn't recommend that it be deleted. I and others addressed it and moved on. I suggest you do the same instead of spending time here leaning on Org members that appear to be still dealing with their grief.

.

Have a .

Amen!

manci said:

wayhome said:

Who are you to judge me like that?

Really, just pionting out that spectulating on this stuff is senseless and wierd.

- What exactly are you doing, if not speculating? Speculating he was fine, yes, but speculation just the same.

Being sensable, and saying people are reading things into things that are not there. i find it really disturbing when I read some of the stuff people write here, it is rather tabloidish. I think people are saying outlandish things to somehow reconcile Prince's death in their own minds. It seems that a few people are trying to say something profound about Prince, but it comes across sounding crazy. Just a word of advice, please don't get stuck in these theories because it will only hold you back from moving forward.

Bluu said:

leadline said:

same look he had since the first time he performed purple rain, which he is performing in this very picture, i believe we are all projecting onto these pictures based on the events that have transpired.

I disagree, the quality of his eyes and expression in OP's photo is different. I've never seen a Prince photo like that. He was always "on" in other photos. Even sad faces were done in the context of a song and proper stage persona, never a slack look of pain / searching like this one.

thx185 said:

leadline said:

same look he had since the first time he performed purple rain, which he is performing in this very picture, i believe we are all projecting onto these pictures based on the events that have transpired.

I disagree, the quality of his eyes and expression in OP's photo is different. I've never seen a Prince photo like that. He was always "on" in other photos. Even sad faces were done in the context of a song and proper stage persona, never a slack look of pain / searching like this one.

I think because he really started showing his age there at the end, the more haggerd quality of his face took all of his expressions and enhanced the poignancy of them.

cardinal said:

i knew this was the photo before i even looked at it. he was (was? wtf) always very expressive, but i do think its possible that his demeanor and appearance over the last 1.5 yrs belied something. i won't be shocked if the autopsy says he passed from natural causes.

I keeping thinking that everytime I use the past tense.

cardinal said:

i knew this was the photo before i even looked at it. he was (was? wtf) always very expressive, but i do think its possible that his demeanor and appearance over the last 1.5 yrs belied something. i won't be shocked if the autopsy says he passed from natural causes.

Yes, I'm still struggling with that one too.

sonshine said:

Bluu said:

.

The OP did not make nor necessarily infer any of the statements you associated with them (above in bold). That was a bit hyperreactive and unfair to put words in MMjas's mouth like that.

.

This is a fan site. Why would mods delete this thread? I didn't read much in the way of any speculation into the OP. It was one person's observation & opinion of Prince's expression in the photo. And even if it was speculation, a fan has that right to do that in this forum. It wasn't anything disrespectful to Prince or intentionally inflammatory. You are not required to like it or agree with it.

.

For a good example of irresponsible, baseless speculation, read McD's thread equating June and heroin. That was a basic hatchet piece and even I didn't recommend that it be deleted. I and others addressed it and moved on. I suggest you do the same instead of spending time here leaning on Org members that appear to be still dealing with their grief.

.

Have a .

Well said. I will only add that when he started promoting AOA and PE I perhaps hadn't seen a current image of him for a bit cuz he was noticeably older and thinner. Before the last few years the man seemed ageless. Not so much anymore but completely understandable so I didn't find it shocking per se just noticeable. I was actually thrilled when he announced his Piano & A Microphone tour as it seemed the perfect fit for him at this stage. He earned the opportunity to take a more low key approach and his fans obviously were not disappointed in the shows. He may have been distant, moody, obtuse, etc in interviews or when he wasn't on stage, but I never faulted him for that. More importantly is that he gave so much seemingly genuine love to his fans at his shows 💜

I agree, the Piano a A Microphone made a lot of sense. He was so versatile that he could do any kind of show and still blow people's minds. And at 57 I no longer expected him to be jumping around the stage, although he was still doing it to some extent. I was sooo looking forward to this much more intimate tour...

There's nothing about the final concert that came across as it being final. Hopefully the Atlanta promoter is being investigated.

The OP did not make nor necessarily infer any of the statements you associated with them (above in bold). That was a bit hyperreactive and unfair to put words in MMjas's mouth like that.

I never put words into anyone's mouth. I was just stating that people here are getting carried away.