Its still so surreal that he is gone, and the investigation into his death is still ongoing on etc.......I would say I'm close to acceptance.

DiamondsnPearls44 said:

3rdeyeboy said:

Ok. New effort.

Q. How many Prince fans does it take to change a light bulb?

A. None. They prefer a large room with no light.

As for the actual topic...

I dunno, it all still seems so...surreal. And I feel this way despite going up to MN, touring PP, etc. And of course when I toured PP I saw the urn there. I thought going in that maybe seeing it would give me a distinct sense of closure, like you might get from a funeral, but it didn't really change anything.

I'm in all 5 stages at the same time

DiamondsnPearls44 said:

I really just hate the fact that non fans believe he died a drug addict...hurts my soul

totally agree. It's a shame.

cloveringold85 said:

Today is six months since we lost our Prince. We are all heartbroken and mourning the lost of such a great legend. I feel sadness because I know he is gone forever. The pain of loss cuts deep. There will never be another like him, but on the other hand, he left us all such a wonderful gift, a gift of music, which I shall cherish and hold near dear to my heart, always.

.

He is gone in the flesh, but will always be here with us in spirit. He had such an incredible energy and spirit, and that will never fade away. Music is just not the same without him. He was a pure genius & one of a kind. We were all so blessed to have him share his god-given gift with us. Whenever I hear a guitar, piano, drums; a funky beat, or that Prince scream (ohhh).....I will always think of Prince.

.

I'm so grateful that Prince was a part of my generation. He helped define a generation of music and beyond. His music is timeless. He will be remembered not only for his incredible music, his hair, fashion, but also for the wonderful human being he was. I miss his smile, his laugh. He was just an amazing person, in so many ways. He left us much too soon.

.

It's only been six months, but in time, the pain will be less, and we will be able to remember him with a "smile" and not a "tear". He has no more pain. He is in God's hands now. Love you, forever, PRN

.

[Edited 10/21/16 13:48pm]

[Edited 10/21/16 13:50pm]

Wow, so beautiful.

benni said:

novabrkr said:

By the way, the first stage is denial, not anger.

It goes:

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression

Acceptance

With "celebrity deaths", I think one can get "thrown back" to an earlier stage too. It's because they can be present via recorded media in a completely different way than with family members and so on. Songs can be touching in a way that mere photographs or video clips of a family member just doing mundane things can't.

Just some information on the Stages of Grief. I'm a LMSW and have worked as a hospice social worker, had to counsel them and their families.

When Kubler-Ross first developed the Stages of Grief, she was doing so based upon what an individual goes through when they are told they are dying. It was later that it was applied to individuals that have lost a loved one. Today, the general public see it as more related to those that have lost a loved one and do not associate it with someone who has been diagnosed as terminal as much.

They are stages of grief, not steps. Some people may start their grieving process at the anger stage, skipping right over denial. Others may start with bargaining. There is no stepping from one stage to the next, so saying that it goes in a particular order is erroneous. It is more truthful to say that an individual can find themself anywhere along the stages during the period of mourning. They can go from anger to depression to bargaining to acceptance to denial to anger to acceptance to bargaining to denial throughout the grieving process. When I was working with hospice patients, I often found, however, they would reach the acceptance stage towards the middle to early end and remain there, while their family members often bounced through the stages at various times and back through others towards the end and it was often not until after their loved one had passed that they would finally find some kind of acceptance.

That's just an FYI for everyone. Didn't want you to think I was just signaling you out, but your post kind of struck me when I saw you had stated the first stage is denial. Usually it's listed that way, and that is the way it is taught, but not everyone will experience denial first.

Thank you for explaining the stages. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling the way I do. Denial was immediate. No bargaining. I went to depression/sadness and some anger with some of the stuff that has happened or been said.

Now I go back and forth between sadness and acceptance. I thought I had reached acceptance after June 7th. But when I watch a video or a movie or an interview, I slip right back into sadness. Or I forget for a brief time & reality jolts me back to sadness.

I still get angry/upset with some of the stuff that happens or that is said. I think that's fairly normal if you disagree with something going on or being said.

I miss him. I feel like I may always go back & forth in a state of sadness or acceptance. Forever.

sonshine said:

Six months already.

Never see him perform again, that really hurts, and it still does hurt. It is difficult for me to talk about the true significance of Prince concerts in my life, it is just too personal, I can not write it down. I am so disappointed about my own writings. Impossible to put into print what was really going on inside of me when I saw Prince performing. I just can't share these emotions.

But hell yes, it is hard, very hard, difficult, to know that he is not part of my life anymore. I was so looking forward to the Piano and a Microphone tour, he scheduled Brussels for November 2015. Then the Paris attacks happened, and he rescheduled his tour, starting in Australia. Yes, I thought about going to Australia, yes. But reality and finances stopped me.

I still regret.

My blogpost is not what I wanted it to be.

And I so much regret that I didn't write about the concerts I saw before that doomed April 21st, so he could have read it. I kept on postponing, thinking other stuff was more important. Now it is too late.

Anyways, for those who are interested: https://belgiancityslicke...had-known/

It is just a list, really. I wish I were a better writer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfRRSdRhfRA North Sea Jazz festival. THe man was born with a guitar in between his teeth.

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

[Edited 10/22/16 5:26am]

It is still surreal but at the same time I have accepted it. I think about him alot each and every day. Been a fan since the 80's, but admit I wasn't always keeping up with him, however was happy to see him pop up at an awards show from time to time. I feel like I took him for granted but he will be in our hearts forever and his music will live on. I know he didn't want any of his stuff on Youtube but I have been enjoying catching up on alot I have missed over the years and/or haven't seen before. His musical genius is just out of this world!

zoso1978 said:

benni said:

Just some information on the Stages of Grief. I'm a LMSW and have worked as a hospice social worker, had to counsel them and their families.

When Kubler-Ross first developed the Stages of Grief, she was doing so based upon what an individual goes through when they are told they are dying. It was later that it was applied to individuals that have lost a loved one. Today, the general public see it as more related to those that have lost a loved one and do not associate it with someone who has been diagnosed as terminal as much.

They are stages of grief, not steps. Some people may start their grieving process at the anger stage, skipping right over denial. Others may start with bargaining. There is no stepping from one stage to the next, so saying that it goes in a particular order is erroneous. It is more truthful to say that an individual can find themself anywhere along the stages during the period of mourning. They can go from anger to depression to bargaining to acceptance to denial to anger to acceptance to bargaining to denial throughout the grieving process. When I was working with hospice patients, I often found, however, they would reach the acceptance stage towards the middle to early end and remain there, while their family members often bounced through the stages at various times and back through others towards the end and it was often not until after their loved one had passed that they would finally find some kind of acceptance.

That's just an FYI for everyone. Didn't want you to think I was just signaling you out, but your post kind of struck me when I saw you had stated the first stage is denial. Usually it's listed that way, and that is the way it is taught, but not everyone will experience denial first.

Thank you for explaining the stages. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling the way I do. Denial was immediate. No bargaining. I went to depression/sadness and some anger with some of the stuff that has happened or been said.

Now I go back and forth between sadness and acceptance. I thought I had reached acceptance after June 7th. But when I watch a video or a movie or an interview, I slip right back into sadness. Or I forget for a brief time & reality jolts me back to sadness.

I still get angry/upset with some of the stuff that happens or that is said. I think that's fairly normal if you disagree with something going on or being said.

I miss him. I feel like I may always go back & forth in a state of sadness or acceptance. Forever.

You're welcome. And yeah, I go back and forth through the stages, too. It is normal to do that zoso, so just be gentle with yourself when you find yourself back at square one. There is no right way or wrong to grieve and we all do it in our own way and in our own time. That's why you'll have some come to acceptance a lot easier than others. Neither is wrong, it's just how we process that grief individually.

I think with Prince, many of us felt denial immediately because it was so sudden and just seemed so unexpected. And then when they were talking about drugs, many of us had more denial and anger because none of us would have expected that. Never that. Not Prince.

And you will find yourself moving into acceptance and staying there for longer of periods of time, eventually, but I think there will always be those things that will cause a twinge of sadness, no matter how much time has passed. I miss him, too and tell myself that I'm so silly missing someone that I never met, that didn't know me, but he was a part of my life and I miss him.

3rdeyeboy said:

NinaB said:

DiamondsnPearls44 said: Hahaha!

What?! I get it. My bad. He had 8 albums, not 7. I forgot the Fresh Prince soundtrack.

stop that

3rdeyeboy said:

sonshine said:

3rdeyeboy said: Meh, still not funny. Sorry. I stand by my original analysis of your motivation. But hey I'm glad you are having fun. That's what it's all about after all. (I'm not even going to point out the fact that some attitudes here are the antithesis of members of a particular artist's fan site. It's just too obvious.)

You had me at hello.

thanks. i needed that

benni said:

novabrkr said:

By the way, the first stage is denial, not anger.

It goes:

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression

Acceptance

With "celebrity deaths", I think one can get "thrown back" to an earlier stage too. It's because they can be present via recorded media in a completely different way than with family members and so on. Songs can be touching in a way that mere photographs or video clips of a family member just doing mundane things can't.

Just some information on the Stages of Grief. I'm a LMSW and have worked as a hospice social worker, had to counsel them and their families.

When Kubler-Ross first developed the Stages of Grief, she was doing so based upon what an individual goes through when they are told they are dying. It was later that it was applied to individuals that have lost a loved one. Today, the general public see it as more related to those that have lost a loved one and do not associate it with someone who has been diagnosed as terminal as much.

They are stages of grief, not steps. Some people may start their grieving process at the anger stage, skipping right over denial. Others may start with bargaining. There is no stepping from one stage to the next, so saying that it goes in a particular order is erroneous. It is more truthful to say that an individual can find themself anywhere along the stages during the period of mourning. They can go from anger to depression to bargaining to acceptance to denial to anger to acceptance to bargaining to denial throughout the grieving process. When I was working with hospice patients, I often found, however, they would reach the acceptance stage towards the middle to early end and remain there, while their family members often bounced through the stages at various times and back through others towards the end and it was often not until after their loved one had passed that they would finally find some kind of acceptance.

That's just an FYI for everyone. Didn't want you to think I was just signaling you out, but your post kind of struck me when I saw you had stated the first stage is denial. Usually it's listed that way, and that is the way it is taught, but not everyone will experience denial first.

.

I lost my Mom 2-1/2 years ago, and I can certainly identify with all the stages of grief you listed. I think my first stage was shock and devastation, then denial. I have accepted that she is gone, but I still struggle with a lot of those emotions. I was in therapy for almost 2-years. I highly recommend it to anyone who's lost a loved one, especially a parent. Everyone's grief is different.

zoso1978 said:

cloveringold85 said:

Today is six months since we lost our Prince. We are all heartbroken and mourning the lost of such a great legend. I feel sadness because I know he is gone forever. The pain of loss cuts deep. There will never be another like him, but on the other hand, he left us all such a wonderful gift, a gift of music, which I shall cherish and hold near dear to my heart, always.

.

He is gone in the flesh, but will always be here with us in spirit. He had such an incredible energy and spirit, and that will never fade away. Music is just not the same without him. He was a pure genius & one of a kind. We were all so blessed to have him share his god-given gift with us. Whenever I hear a guitar, piano, drums; a funky beat, or that Prince scream (ohhh).....I will always think of Prince.

.

I'm so grateful that Prince was a part of my generation. He helped define a generation of music and beyond. His music is timeless. He will be remembered not only for his incredible music, his hair, fashion, but also for the wonderful human being he was. I miss his smile, his laugh. He was just an amazing person, in so many ways. He left us much too soon.

.

It's only been six months, but in time, the pain will be less, and we will be able to remember him with a "smile" and not a "tear". He has no more pain. He is in God's hands now. Love you, forever, PRN

.

[Edited 10/21/16 13:48pm]

[Edited 10/21/16 13:50pm]

Wow, so beautiful.

.

Thank You!

benni said:

zoso1978 said:

Thank you for explaining the stages. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling the way I do. Denial was immediate. No bargaining. I went to depression/sadness and some anger with some of the stuff that has happened or been said.

Now I go back and forth between sadness and acceptance. I thought I had reached acceptance after June 7th. But when I watch a video or a movie or an interview, I slip right back into sadness. Or I forget for a brief time & reality jolts me back to sadness.

I still get angry/upset with some of the stuff that happens or that is said. I think that's fairly normal if you disagree with something going on or being said.

I miss him. I feel like I may always go back & forth in a state of sadness or acceptance. Forever.

You're welcome. And yeah, I go back and forth through the stages, too. It is normal to do that zoso, so just be gentle with yourself when you find yourself back at square one. There is no right way or wrong to grieve and we all do it in our own way and in our own time. That's why you'll have some come to acceptance a lot easier than others. Neither is wrong, it's just how we process that grief individually.

I think with Prince, many of us felt denial immediately because it was so sudden and just seemed so unexpected. And then when they were talking about drugs, many of us had more denial and anger because none of us would have expected that. Never that. Not Prince.

And you will find yourself moving into acceptance and staying there for longer of periods of time, eventually, but I think there will always be those things that will cause a twinge of sadness, no matter how much time has passed. I miss him, too and tell myself that I'm so silly missing someone that I never met, that didn't know me, but he was a part of my life and I miss him.

.

I think it hit us all so hard because we never saw it coming. I remember when MJ died, and I thought about Prince and he was the LAST person I ever expected to die suddenly, and from a drug overdose. Never did I ever see this coming! I mean, with MJ, we saw his decline and poor health and his erratic behavior.......but never Prince!

cloveringold85 said:

benni said:

You're welcome. And yeah, I go back and forth through the stages, too. It is normal to do that zoso, so just be gentle with yourself when you find yourself back at square one. There is no right way or wrong to grieve and we all do it in our own way and in our own time. That's why you'll have some come to acceptance a lot easier than others. Neither is wrong, it's just how we process that grief individually.

I think with Prince, many of us felt denial immediately because it was so sudden and just seemed so unexpected. And then when they were talking about drugs, many of us had more denial and anger because none of us would have expected that. Never that. Not Prince.

And you will find yourself moving into acceptance and staying there for longer of periods of time, eventually, but I think there will always be those things that will cause a twinge of sadness, no matter how much time has passed. I miss him, too and tell myself that I'm so silly missing someone that I never met, that didn't know me, but he was a part of my life and I miss him.

.

I think it hit us all so hard because we never saw it coming. I remember when MJ died, and I thought about Prince and he was the LAST person I ever expected to die suddenly, and from a drug overdose. Never did I ever see this coming! I mean, with MJ, we saw his decline and poor health and his erratic behavior.......but never Prince!

when my cousins texted me the news that day i didn't even believe them. thought they'd been misinformed, or had misunderstood the airplane incident. never crossed my mind it could be true

XxAxX said:

cloveringold85 said:

.

I think it hit us all so hard because we never saw it coming. I remember when MJ died, and I thought about Prince and he was the LAST person I ever expected to die suddenly, and from a drug overdose. Never did I ever see this coming! I mean, with MJ, we saw his decline and poor health and his erratic behavior.......but never Prince!

when my cousins texted me the news that day i didn't even believe them. thought they'd been misinformed, or had misunderstood the airplane incident. never crossed my mind it could be true

.

I will never forget that day. I just happened to turn CNN on, and there it was: Breaking News. As soon as I saw that, my heart sank to the floor!! I haven't felt like that since the day my Mom died. I was in complete shock. I immediately said out loud "this isn't right". A few days earlier, we heard about the plane incident, and I thought Prince was okay after that, but he wasn't.

Life is circular--I go up and down and all around...

.

CRAZY CIRCLES--Bad Company

.

Life is like a merry go round

Painted horses riding up and down
Music takes you and you're gone again
Crazy circles never seem to end

.

Oh I will face the sun
Leavin' shadows far behind
And together we'll go on
Through time oh yeah

.

Life is like a game of chance
Some find riches and some romance
Some find happiness and some find sorrow
Some find it today and some maybe tomorrow

.

Oh I will face the sun
Leavin' shadows far behind
And together we'll go on
Through time oh yeah

.

Life is like a carousel you aim for heaven
And you wind up in hell
To all the world you're livin' like a king
But you're just a puppet on a broken string

.

Oh I will face the sun
Leavin' shadows far behind
And together we'll go on
Through time oh yeah

.

Life is like mm and the life is like mm
Crazy circles goin' round and round
Crazy circles round and round and
One day you're up and the next day you're down
Life is like a merry go round...

[Edited 10/22/16 14:12pm]

cloveringold85 said:

XxAxX said:

when my cousins texted me the news that day i didn't even believe them. thought they'd been misinformed, or had misunderstood the airplane incident. never crossed my mind it could be true

.

I will never forget that day. I just happened to turn CNN on, and there it was: Breaking News. As soon as I saw that, my heart sank to the floor!! I haven't felt like that since the day my Mom died. I was in complete shock. I immediately said out loud "this isn't right". A few days earlier, we heard about the plane incident, and I thought Prince was okay after that, but he wasn't.

then they texted me a link to 'Prince Dead at 57' still keep seeing that headline

cloveringold85 said:

XxAxX said:

when my cousins texted me the news that day i didn't even believe them. thought they'd been misinformed, or had misunderstood the airplane incident. never crossed my mind it could be true

.

I will never forget that day. I just happened to turn CNN on, and there it was: Breaking News. As soon as I saw that, my heart sank to the floor!! I haven't felt like that since the day my Mom died. I was in complete shock. I immediately said out loud "this isn't right". A few days earlier, we heard about the plane incident, and I thought Prince was okay after that, but he wasn't.

BIG 4 U, Honey.

Don't usually do these stages. Still feels like it was yesterday. Celebrating him ever since though (well, 2-3 weeks after April 21). Went to several tributes in the Netherlands and danced like there was now tomorrow. Have been listening to his music constantly, rediscoverning certain gems.

cloveringold85 said:

benni said:

You're welcome. And yeah, I go back and forth through the stages, too. It is normal to do that zoso, so just be gentle with yourself when you find yourself back at square one. There is no right way or wrong to grieve and we all do it in our own way and in our own time. That's why you'll have some come to acceptance a lot easier than others. Neither is wrong, it's just how we process that grief individually.

I think with Prince, many of us felt denial immediately because it was so sudden and just seemed so unexpected. And then when they were talking about drugs, many of us had more denial and anger because none of us would have expected that. Never that. Not Prince.

And you will find yourself moving into acceptance and staying there for longer of periods of time, eventually, but I think there will always be those things that will cause a twinge of sadness, no matter how much time has passed. I miss him, too and tell myself that I'm so silly missing someone that I never met, that didn't know me, but he was a part of my life and I miss him.

.

I think it hit us all so hard because we never saw it coming. I remember when MJ died, and I thought about Prince and he was the LAST person I ever expected to die suddenly, and from a drug overdose. Never did I ever see this coming! I mean, with MJ, we saw his decline and poor health and his erratic behavior.......but never Prince!

Exactly. Never saw it coming. & never Prince.

The almost-daily estate updates have somehow "helped" but I still miss him.

I tried to take the summer off from listening to him, but that only lasted a few weeks.

XxAxX said:

cloveringold85 said:

.

I will never forget that day. I just happened to turn CNN on, and there it was: Breaking News. As soon as I saw that, my heart sank to the floor!! I haven't felt like that since the day my Mom died. I was in complete shock. I immediately said out loud "this isn't right". A few days earlier, we heard about the plane incident, and I thought Prince was okay after that, but he wasn't.

then they texted me a link to 'Prince Dead at 57' still keep seeing that headline

.

It's so heartbreaking and sad beyond words, isn't it?

.

I was trembling and I immediately called my husband at work, and he knew something was terribly wrong. I cried the words "Prince passed away". He could not believe it. I was sobbing uncontrollably. I'm getting teary-eyed just typing this because the pain and sadness is so real and it still hurts. Hugs to you, my purple friend.

purplepoppy said:

cloveringold85 said:

.

I will never forget that day. I just happened to turn CNN on, and there it was: Breaking News. As soon as I saw that, my heart sank to the floor!! I haven't felt like that since the day my Mom died. I was in complete shock. I immediately said out loud "this isn't right". A few days earlier, we heard about the plane incident, and I thought Prince was okay after that, but he wasn't.

BIG 4 U, Honey.

.

And also to you!

BT11 said:

Don't usually do these stages. Still feels like it was yesterday. Celebrating him ever since though (well, 2-3 weeks after April 21). Went to several tributes in the Netherlands and danced like there was now tomorrow. Have been listening to his music constantly, rediscoverning certain gems.

.

Yea, it's still too soon -- the loss still hurts. We really lost an incredible person -- aside from his music and fame, he was a great human being.....he was a person, with feelings just like all of us.