First time poster here at the Org. Forgive if this is a bit long.

First off, I want to say thanks to the Org for convincing me, almost 10 years ago, to get out to Vegas for the 3121 residency. I took my girlfriend, who is now my wife, and we took the advice I saw on here about how to line up and get close to the stage. We were 10 feet away and it was easily the best show I've seen, and I've seen all the modern greats. It wasn't even close. The fact that we were close enough to see the expressions on Prince's face and hear him command the band were extra benefits, of course. My wife, to this day, claims that Prince checked her out a few times. She was probably right. That remains one of the best times we've ever had, and I don't think we would have gone were it not for the Org.

At the end of the show, a guy who looked like an NFL linebacker, wearing an Under Armour t-shirt (everyone else was dressed up) slapped me on my back. He had been standing behind me the whole show, though we had spoken. He grabbed my shoulder and said, "Prince is a legend, man. He's a legend". I thought to myself, "Damn right he is". The guy disappeared in the crowd as quickly as he had shown up. He was by himself. I looked toward the back of the floor for him and Tom Jones of all people was standing there. It was that kind of night. Surreal stuff everywhere.

I was introduced to Prince and the Revolution by my cousin, who we all called Wendy because she played guitar, sang, and wanted to be Wendy. I was 9. I'd like to say I was always a huge fan, but I wasn't. For whatever reason, it never really clicked for me until high school, when I got into Parade at the behest of a girl I was dating. I then got into the rest of the music and even dragged friends to the opening (maybe the only) weekend of Graffiti Bridge. Prince was never my favorite band/artist (that was and is U2), but I always tried to keep up with what he and the band were up to. I didn't see my first show until 1998, on the New Power Soul tour. Great show, though I wondered why Doug E. Fresh was there. Since I'm a guitar nerd, his solo on Purple Rain on a riser near my seat was my favorite concert moment up until 3121, which killed everything.

I've kept up on here after his passing, and I am truly amazed at the genuine emotion I've seen. I can't say I'm a fan on that level, but I have had a difficult time myself knowing that Prince is no longer around. It was one of those things you could count on in life-somewhere, Prince was somewhere being weird and probably playing an awesome show. So many questions about him remain unanswered to me: why did he let people into his world and then seemingly usher them out so often? Why no collaborations with men other than the strange foray into rap? What motivated him to record so much? What exactly was the point of Graffiti Bridge? I mean, I've seen the movie 5 times and can't understand it. But all of those questions don't really matter. I am truly sorry for the Org-never seen a fan community with this type of genuine emotion and connection to the person it's about.

Just wanted to say that. The tributes and stories on here have been amazing. While I understand the curiousity about his death, I'm not terribly interested in the details. I'm sad that he's gone. I'm sad that it doesn't seem he ever found true happiness away from the stage, though maybe he did. And on the stage, he was the happiest person I think I've ever seen. He was totally in his space, where he was supposed to be. Few of us ever get that gift. The various stories about his personal life don't interest me much, as I only knew him through the music. I hope that he squared things with as many as possible before he left, there seemed to be many comings and goings in his life. I'm sad that he died alone at Paisley, the world he created. I'm sad that there will be no new stories, no new sounds, no new riffs, no new shows. But, lord, the ones he left behind. And it's been great to hear all of his stories of outreach and charity. Thank you for all those stories too.

Whenever I think of Prince now, I think back to that guy in the Under Armor shirt. I wonder if he's an Orger. "Prince is a legend, man. He's a legend". Damn right he is. And legends never die.

RIP Prince, and thank you. Again, my condolences to the Org.

Peace and be wild.

[Edited 5/16/16 18:04pm]

Please post here http://prince.org/msg/7/423377