Prince spoke to our hearts and minds

I remember reading that celebrities are like American royalty or demi-gods. We follow them with an insatiable interest. We celebrate or pick apart their cultural contributions with fervor, and when they are gone we mourn them as though we knew them.

Last week, Prince Rogers Nelson, better known as Prince, passed away at the age of 57. He had just played the Fox in Atlanta days before. Fans nationwide, myself included, felt shock, then grief. A candlelight vigil for the late musician was even held in downtown Columbus on Wednesday night.

What is it about the loss of well-loved celebrities that affects us so deeply? Prince led a very private life for a celebrity, even unto his passing. He kept an air of mystery about him, which theoretically should have made him harder for us to connect with. But as is often the case with great artists, it is not the man but rather his work that speaks so deeply to our hearts and minds.

Prince was incredibly prolific. He completed 39 studio albums and five live albums, which included 50 Top 40 hits. It is said that he has enough music in his private vault to release multiple posthumous albums. It should come as no surprise then that so many people spanning age, race and background have been touched by his music.

A woman at my church commented on Sunday that she stopped listening to secular music when she was in her 20s and became a follower of Christ. She claimed she didn’t know any Prince songs. I started singing “Kiss” to her and asked if she knew that song. “Yeah,” she said. “I didn’t know that was Prince.”

That is probably a common reply for the casual music fan. Prince reinvented his sound often enough that the untrained ear might think he is two different artists on two different tracks.

But to those familiar with his discography, the loss of Prince was felt on a personal level. Two married friends of mine mourn Prince, knowing that the love of his music was one of the first things they realized they had in common. In fact, Prince was the soundtrack to their marriage proposal. It’s likely given the nature of his music that many have danced, fallen in love, or expressed that love (hint, hint) all with Prince’s voice or instruments playing in the background.

I doubt the majority of Prince fans expected to feel such great sadness when he died. We knew we loved his music and seeing him perform, but we didn’t go out with him or carpool with him or invite him into our homes. No, wait — that’s exactly what we did. And that’s exactly why, as with Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston before him, this is a personal loss for so many.

He is not royalty, nor a god, but Prince was a true artist, one we let into our lives for many years. And as with the loss of any friend, it is hard to say goodbye.

Natalia Naman Temesgen is an independent contractor. Contact her at nntemesgen@gmail.com.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Prince spoke to our hearts and minds."