I'm not saying we don't love and miss Prince. Of course we do. But I think some of why this has hurt so much is mourning long gone youth and vitality, both's Prince's and our own. (And of course this is directed at the majorty of fans who are 40+ at this point)

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But watching clips of P in Purple Rain seems to be the most painful. It just seems like he was so young and beautiful and healthy and vital back then. In the 80s, I was also young and full of life and looking forward to the future, etc. What an exciting time that was, and much of it was Prince's music...1999 and Purple Rain eras. Now P is gone and I'm old and tired too and just a bummer.

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So I'm dealing with some of this, and and maybe I'm projecting my feelings on others, but curious if anyone else is feeling the same way.

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[Edited 7/11/16 5:33am]

FunkiestOne said:

I'm not saying we don't love and miss Prince. Of course we do. But I think some of why this has hurt so much is mourning long gone youth and vitality, both's Prince's and our own. (And of course this is directed at the majorty of fans who are 40+ at this point)

.

But watching clips of P in Purple Rain seems to be the most painful. It just seems like he was so young and beautiful and healthy and vital back then. In the 80s, I was also young and full of life and looking forward to the future, etc. What an exciting time that was, and much of it was Prince's music...1999 and Purple Rain eras. Now P is gone and I'm old and tired too and just a bummer.

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So I'm dealing with some of this, and and maybe I'm projecting my feelings on others, but curious if anyone else is feeling the same way.

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[Edited 7/11/16 5:33am]

Interesting perspective, FunkiestOne. As one who is 40+, I think it is a combination of all that you have mentioned. Of course, we loved him, perhaps more than we even knew. And, since his music served as the soundtrack to many of our lives, it naturally makes us reflect on our existence. In that sense, Prince's transition raises a deep, existential question. Thanks for pointing this out.

[Edited 7/11/16 6:21am]

This. I'm one of those over 40s, and since P's death, as I've been revisiting his whole catalog, thoughts of him have become completely tangled in thoughts of my own life -- where I was when that song/abum came out, what was I doing, etc. Before his death I was already having a bit of a midlife crisis, I think (I'm 44), and this just kicked it up to high gear.

Not so much for me at 40. Because to me, being 40 is much, much better than being 20. The things I used to do simply aren't even necessary anymore, and I'm much clearer about what I do and don't want. I think we need to stop worshiping youth as though our lives end when we stop having young bodies. Wisdom only happens when you keep living, looking forward, not crying over what you 'lost' because you're no longer 25. I wouldn't want to go back to 25 for any reason. You can't pay me for it. In fact, I can't wait for 50, when I really don't have to give a shit about anyone's opinion, not that I ev er really cared much, anyway.

FunkiestOne said:

I'm not saying we don't love and miss Prince. Of course we do. But I think some of why this has hurt so much is mourning long gone youth and vitality, both's Prince's and our own. (And of course this is directed at the majorty of fans who are 40+ at this point)

.

But watching clips of P in Purple Rain seems to be the most painful. It just seems like he was so young and beautiful and healthy and vital back then. In the 80s, I was also young and full of life and looking forward to the future, etc. What an exciting time that was, and much of it was Prince's music...1999 and Purple Rain eras. Now P is gone and I'm old and tired too and just a bummer.

.

So I'm dealing with some of this, and and maybe I'm projecting my feelings on others, but curious if anyone else is feeling the same way.

.

.

[Edited 7/11/16 5:33am]

::raisestwohands::

Prince more than any other of our generation represented vitality as we have aged. That MF'er left us here to get old by ourselves. Not fair Princey NOT FAIR.

40+ doesn't bother me at all...but i'm a very lucky girl, god bless mother nature

And still fit and healthy (but i'm a semi-professial sporter so I must stay in shape and in good condition)

I am almost 42 and still look as if I was in my early 20s!

I still get carded when buying alcohol, both at bars and in stores, on a consistent basis, and at this point frequently have to insist that yes, that ID really is authentic, and yes, I really am as old as the ID says I am

(In the Netherlands you must be 18+ to buy alcohol LOL)

Aging has its benefits....

[Edited 7/11/16 9:32am]

[Edited 7/11/16 9:43am]

More ageism from FunkiestOne!

Genesia said:

More ageism from FunkiestOne!

It's not ageism -- it's reality for some of us. When a celebrity dies who was an integral part of our youth, it makes some of us reminisce abour own lives and mortality.

Genesia said:

More ageism from FunkiestOne!

that's not ageism.

getting old is in your mind - aging is definitely in your body, no matter whether you want to pay attention to it or not.

i still do everything i have always done. i heal slower now though and its too obvious to ignore...if you're smart you can make the best of it by paying attention and working with it.

i'm 53 most people i tell are shocked - i'm not that interested in the under 35 folks anymore its like been there done that - next. their struggles are familiar territory for me and i'm on to finding the next thing.

thats whats harder - finding ways to remain and create things to be excited about in something i;ve been doing for 30 years. its a challenge that surprisngly enough keeps me young

disch said:

Genesia said:

More ageism from FunkiestOne!

It's not ageism -- it's reality for some of us. When a celebrity dies who was an integral part of our youth, it makes some of us reminisce abour own lives and mortality.

The thread author has made a career of ageism at prince.org. You might want to do a little reading.

Genesia said:

disch said:

It's not ageism -- it's reality for some of us. When a celebrity dies who was an integral part of our youth, it makes some of us reminisce abour own lives and mortality.

The thread author has made a career of ageism at prince.org. You might want to do a little reading.

That may be true, but this thread wasn't an example of it. I think it's a valid point (for some -- not all -- of us) that P's death reminds us of the end of our own youth, our own mortality, etc. But anyway, sounds like this thread touched a nerve for some so I'll move on...

for me, not too much of it. I'm 47, my youth is a little behind me and I mourned it when we lost MJ. I also mourned it when I lost my boxing hero, Hector Camacho. I mourn Prince because it's such a huge loss and because his meaning to me as a musician. He was the reason I wanted to do it. I didn't practice much since he's died. I'm getting back to it now but I kind of feel alone. As much of a failure as I am, I still always tried, worked, got in as much practice as my life would allow. But one thing that always kept me going was I knew that man was somewhere working harder and doing more and even now, as burned out as I am, I'm still putting it in my head that I haven't done nearly as much as him and I need to work.

No doubt there is some of that in what I'm feeling, but I always get in that funk a little when giants from the 80's die. How could it not bring you back to your youth and go through the years in your mind, it's only natural. But, with Prince, it's just so much more, that's but a small part of it. For me, anyway.

anangellooksdown said:

I think another part of it is that we didn't all know how much good Prince was doing. We didn't have enough respect or compassion for him when he was alive. We judged him, beat him up, etc. etc., or we simply didn't notice how special he was. So there's guilt there. Remorse. And we want to do something good with our own lives like he did with his. I probably can't do as MUCH as him, but boy, I'm seeing now I've gotta do something to make a difference.

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Yes this too and I feel some guilt for somehow putting my own expectations on him throughout the years as a fan, and not letting him just be himself and be an imperfect human. It was immature and unintelligent of me, and I feel like I should have loved him even more when he was alive. Of course he wouldn't know either way, but I do feel a little bad about it.

Genesia said:

disch said:

It's not ageism -- it's reality for some of us. When a celebrity dies who was an integral part of our youth, it makes some of us reminisce abour own lives and mortality.

The thread author has made a career of ageism at prince.org. You might want to do a little reading.

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No the other thread wasn't ageism and this one isn't either. Some people see sexism, racism, and ageism everywhere. What an angry world that would be to live in. I pity you.

I'm only 34 but I totally know what you are talking about. It seems yes his death triggered feelings of going farther and farther away from my youth and the feelings of invinciability and the possibilities of having a whole life a head of you. I even remarked to my sister when he died that I feel like my childhood was really over and she totally understood what a meant. Honestly though I am happier than I ever have been. I have a happy marriage and beautiful baby boy, so I would never want to go backwards...the main thing that is scarry about getting older is having to make tough choices and the added responsiblities of being a mommy.

On a side note I do remember reading that someone who worked for Prince said at the time (early 2000s) that he was someone who was going to have a particularly hard time aging...psychologically I mean. That was interesting to me...because I think some of the people who have the hardest time with aging and different life stages are some of the unhappiest people around. Although I have to say in the older stages of life Prince seemed to be embracing it somewhat...he looked nice and I liked his style. I think he enjoyed hanging out with his younger girlfriends...and enjoyed their company...I didn't see anything wrong with him hanging out with the younger ladies. I saw him more nurturing and fatherly towards them than creepy. I think Tamar used to call him "Uncle Prince".

There's actually numerous articles relating to this. They usually come out after the death of a major public figure or icon like Prince or Bowie. Basically, the reason the masses care so much when something like this occurs is not because they are "bandwagon" jumpers like a lot of people sometimes critique, but because the deaths of these icons from a generations' youth cause the generation to question their own mortality.

That being said, that's a perspective I usually assume is for the more moderate fans, or the mainstream perspective. You know, the crowd who just bought 'The Very Best of Prince' or whatever. I think based on what I read here daily, here at least, people are mourning Prince's mortality more than their own.

disch said:

This. I'm one of those over 40s, and since P's death, as I've been revisiting his whole catalog, thoughts of him have become completely tangled in thoughts of my own life -- where I was when that song/abum came out, what was I doing, etc. Before his death I was already having a bit of a midlife crisis, I think (I'm 44), and this just kicked it up to high gear.

I am the exact same way. Watching/listening to PR and early albums made me realize how young he was, he seemed so grown at the time! I think now that many of us 40+ have experienced the age that Prince was at the time he released a particular song/album, was in a romantic entanglement etc. it seems bizarre.

And it makes me defensive when people pigeon hole him into a certain era or criticize his lyrics/sexuality, it's like dude he was a young horndog!

[Edited 7/11/16 16:54pm]

disch said:

I'm 19 so I can't really say I'm mourning the death of my youth yet. The only thing I'm mourning is the loss of my favourite musical genius.

FunkiestOne said:

Im 44 so this has nothing to do with the death of youth its about someone you admired suffering alone and dying alone! The rest is bullshit. That shit will forever hurt my soul that Prince died in a damn elevator alone...some bullshit at the highest bullshit level. No way was it supposed to end that way for Prince.

smoothcriminal12 said:

I'm 19 so I can't really say I'm mourning the death of my youth yet. The only thing I'm mourning is the loss of my favourite musical genius.

and he was my favorite too....thats what its really about losing a great talent.

A little younger here, 37, and I got into him in the early 90s, but I'll go to watch something like an awards show performance on YouTube, and remember it like it was just a couple years ago and I'm still a teenager...then it dawns on me.

Kenshader said:

A little younger here, 37, and I got into him in the early 90s, but I'll go to watch something like an awards show performance on YouTube, and remember it like it was just a couple years ago and I'm still a teenager...then it dawns on me.

it hurts when youre listening to something Prince related then you realize he's gone

RJOrion said:

disch said:

It's not ageism -- it's reality for some of us. When a celebrity dies who was an integral part of our youth, it makes some of us reminisce abour own lives and mortality.

yep...maurice white and prince dying within months of each other really caused me to emotionally reflect on my own life...tbose two men produced the most important music of the soundtrack of my life...musicvi listen to and try to play almost everyday...h

Yes, the death of certain celebrities often prods us into taking a trip back to happier, youthful times and it reminds us of our own mortality especially when you're close in age to the decedent. Maurice White (EWF), Prince and several others were major musical influences to me and to have them go right behind each other was a little chilling.

Of course, no one knows when their time is up, but the beginning of 2016 came down a little hard on the music world. I realize many in the entertainment industry definitely knew of Prince or had intimate knowledge of him. However, just think. Prince had a connection with, ironically, a few who also departed this year.

WB wanted Maurice White to produce Prince's albums.

Cat Glover's choosing to dance/tour with Bowie or Prince.

Working friendship with Muhammad Ali.

And then there's Vanity

It has truly been a reflective time...once again. Life

disch said:

This. I'm one of those over 40s, and since P's death, as I've been revisiting his whole catalog, thoughts of him have become completely tangled in thoughts of my own life -- where I was when that song/abum came out, what was I doing, etc. Before his death I was already having a bit of a midlife crisis, I think (I'm 44), and this just kicked it up to high gear.

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Midlife crisis is right!

I am 52 years old.

I was a freshman in college when 1999 came out, and my friends and I all loved it. When Purple Rain came out we all got stoned and went to see it in the movie theatre. I was blown away. Those college years were the happiest years of my life. I can't listen to Prince without feeling pangs of nostalgia. And sinse he died, all I want to do is go back in time and become one of his groupies. It is not ageism. To say it is, is judgemental, and shows a lack of both empathy and understading.

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[Edited 7/13/16 0:46am]