I have always wondered what the story is behind, what is believed to be the last official photo of Prince. It must have been taken shortly before his death because he didn't get the new piano until a few days before he died. I feel like there is a lot of irony in the photo. "The Many Faces of Prince" behind him representing his entire career, i.e., the past. What I call the "Eternal Prince" on his shirt where he looks to be dead with his third eye open representing the future. Obviously, there is him there representing the now. Sadly, he doesn't look well in the photo, which is to be expected given that he was a sick man. Does anyone have any details about his photo, i.e., when it was taken, who took it, what the photo session was for, etc.?

[Edited 6/29/16 18:50pm]

donnyenglish said:

I have always wondered what the story is behind, what is believed to be the last official photo of Prince. It must have been taken shortly before his death because he didn't get the new piano until a few days before he died. I feel like there is a lot of irony in the photo. "The Many Faces of Prince" behind him representing his entire career, i.e., the past. What I call the "Eternal Prince" on his shirt where he looks to be dead with his third eye open representing the future. Obviously, there is him there representing the now. Sadly, he doesn't look well in the photo, which is to be expected given that he was a sick man. Does anyone have any details about his photo, i.e., when it was taken, who took it, what the photo session was for, etc.?

Do you mean this photo that hasn't been ruined by someone in photoshop?

[img:$uid]http://i64.tinypic.com/2vb91yw.jpg[/img:$uid]

A sad photo. No sparkle in his eyes. Can't think of ANY other photo that didn't have sparkle.

suomynona said:

Beautiful soul. And I agree with everyone about the sad eyes

RIP.

If while looking at this picture I were being completely honest with myself, I would say he looks resigned to me, sad but accepting. The thought hurts, brings back the visegrip, brings tears to my eyes and at the same time oddly eases the pain of where he died. He was at home.

Kara said:

That's not an official photo. It was taken by an audience member.

It's horrible, because of the strange lighting at that concert (colorful balls bouncing around everything).

klick2me said:

anangellooksdown said:

and if you zoom in on just the right side of his face, you might see that there is a tinge of that incredible lightheartedness there. Very mature man.

sorry what do you mean?

gollygirl said:

justtracy said:

He is beautiful as always, but I do see the sadness in his eyes and the set of his mouth. Perhaps it was just tiredness, though in hindsight...

This photo really creeps me out. His expression is one I've seen before, and its always by someone who is leaving and just can't seem to find the words to say goodbye. Especially the way his lips are parted, as if the words "goodbye" are almost ready to be whispered but never said.

I was listening to "Way Back Home" today, and I really noticed how the first verse is in the pasted tense, and reflective in a way that a person who had come to the end of a journey might speak. That song, this picture, and other things we've heard (even some terrible rumors), convince me that he knew his time was short....

[Edited 6/29/16 20:20pm]

jonnymon said:

This photo really creeps me out. His expression is one I've seen before, and its always by someone who is leaving and just can't seem to find the words to say goodbye. Especially the way his lips are parted, as if the words "goodbye" are almost ready to be whispered but never said.

I was listening to "Way Back Home" today, and I really noticed how the first verse is in the pasted tense, and reflective in a way that a person who had come to the end of a journey might speak. That song, this picture, and other things we've heard (even some terrible rumors), convince me that he knew his time was short....

[Edited 6/29/16 20:20pm]

He really did look bad. Like he had trouble keeping his eyes open for the camera. If it wasn't the last one it was ONE of the last ones, that's for sure. I never understood how the people that saw him last could say "I just saw Prince and he looked fine to me." Prince hasn't looked fine in a long time.

donnyenglish said:

Sadly, he doesn't look well in the photo, which is to be expected given that he was a sick man.

He was 57 years old.

Google "57 year old man" and go look at images.

When Prince wasn't covered in make-up, he looked his age -- especially close-up. And with bright lights.

Now... imagine this 57-year-old man working the entire night before.

Forget for a moment that it was Prince -- much less that he had aged MORE than TWICE the age he was when Purple Rain the movie came out.

Make a note today. When you're 57-years-old, go on stage where the lights are blinding with hardly any make-up at all. Stay up the entire night before.

Then pull up a photo of when you were 26-28 years old -- in the prime of your life. And then look in the mirror and remember the words you posted here today. Think about what others see when you leave your home that day. Do they see the person you feel you are still? Or do they see a 57-year-old -- or someone they assume is older. It sucks. But it's just how it is.

Prince was 8 years from becoming a senior citizen. You saw that when you were front and center at his shows in 2013. He had aged, regardless of what anyone thinks.

Getting older should be a great thing for everyone, but all you see is ageism commercials on television. You see women (and men too) in their 30s getting botox and plastic surgery and they don't even have their first wrinkle.

Not an attack on anyone -- but folks should think about this when they see photos of him and wonder if the way he looked as a 50-something-year-old man looked the way he did was due to drugs, or lack of nutrition. It was a lack of make-up combined with a lack of sleep. Period. Prince worked himself to death. And his body couldn't keep up with him. It is as simple as that.

We should be thrilled that he was with us as long as he was. He released more records than most artists do in 4 lifetimes. Toured more than most artists too. Let's leave it at that, rather than trying to make sense of something that NO ONE knows the answer to.

suomynona said:

donnyenglish said:

I have always wondered what the story is behind, what is believed to be the last official photo of Prince. It must have been taken shortly before his death because he didn't get the new piano until a few days before he died. I feel like there is a lot of irony in the photo. "The Many Faces of Prince" behind him representing his entire career, i.e., the past. What I call the "Eternal Prince" on his shirt where he looks to be dead with his third eye open representing the future. Obviously, there is him there representing the now. Sadly, he doesn't look well in the photo, which is to be expected given that he was a sick man. Does anyone have any details about his photo, i.e., when it was taken, who took it, what the photo session was for, etc.?

Do you mean this photo that hasn't been ruined by someone in photoshop?

[img:$uid]http://i64.tinypic.com/2vb91yw.jpg[/img:$uid]

Personally I think he looks beautiful in this picture. No photoshop, not retouched, just a natural looking and beautiful 57 year old man. <3

MMJas said:

suomynona said:

Do you mean this photo that hasn't been ruined by someone in photoshop?

Personally I think he looks beautiful in this picture. No photoshop, not retouched, just a natural looking and beautiful 57 year old man. <3

I was referring to the OP's now edited post where the photo was squeezed -- turns out not by photoshop, but by this website so that it would fit on this page.

laytonian said:

That's not an official photo. It was taken by an audience member.

It's horrible, because of the strange lighting at that concert (colorful balls bouncing around everything).

Of course it's an official photo. It was posted on his twitter feed, and was taken the week he passed away, either on the monday or tuesday.

So the piano really was pink in this photo? I thought the purple one was delivered to PP by Yamaha. What was interesting is that I read the piano used in Atlanta was a digital piano encased in a "regular" piano body.

suomynona said:

donnyenglish said:

Sadly, he doesn't look well in the photo, which is to be expected given that he was a sick man.

He was 57 years old.

Google "57 year old man" and go look at images.

When Prince wasn't covered in make-up, he looked his age -- especially close-up. And with bright lights.

Now... imagine this 57-year-old man working the entire night before.

Forget for a moment that it was Prince -- much less that he had aged MORE than TWICE the age he was when Purple Rain the movie came out.

Make a note today. When you're 57-years-old, go on stage where the lights are blinding with hardly any make-up at all. Stay up the entire night before.

Then pull up a photo of when you were 26-28 years old -- in the prime of your life. And then look in the mirror and remember the words you posted here today. Think about what others see when you leave your home that day. Do they see the person you feel you are still? Or do they see a 57-year-old -- or someone they assume is older. It sucks. But it's just how it is.

Prince was 8 years from becoming a senior citizen. You saw that when you were front and center at his shows in 2013. He had aged, regardless of what anyone thinks.

Getting older should be a great thing for everyone, but all you see is ageism commercials on television. You see women (and men too) in their 30s getting botox and plastic surgery and they don't even have their first wrinkle.

Not an attack on anyone -- but folks should think about this when they see photos of him and wonder if the way he looked as a 50-something-year-old man looked the way he did was due to drugs, or lack of nutrition. It was a lack of make-up combined with a lack of sleep. Period. Prince worked himself to death. And his body couldn't keep up with him. It is as simple as that.

We should be thrilled that he was with us as long as he was. He released more records than most artists do in 4 lifetimes. Toured more than most artists too. Let's leave it at that, rather than trying to make sense of something that NO ONE knows the answer to.