1999 and Beyond ...

I first heard Prince before he was famous. Little Red Corvette and 1999 both hit the club scene way before Purple Rain hit the screen in the 1980s. I danced to Prince but really had no idea of the amazing, mysterious, sensual icon that lay behind those songs. Not until ...

Purple Rain was a watershed moment for me, I realized (although I did not have the name for it at the time) that I was pansexual, longed to be gender fluid (still do) and that I love me some Prince. Seriously.

Fast forward over the years, have always continued to love him, both his new releases and new looks.

However... he did start to look not-so-good, and seemed not-as-reliable, over recent years. Now looking back over the past 5 years, it seems obvious to me, as someone who was once an active addict, and as one who works with them, that he was using and abusing substances:

 I am sad he is gone and won't have any new projects to share with us. I am sad, and I therefore need to be grateful that he was here at all ...and we were blessed with his music, which, as with all artists, will live on forever And I am grateful for that, as well.