Nile Rodgers, Brian Wilson, Spike Lee, Bob Mould, Madonna & more artists pay tribute to Prince
Today brought the awful news that Prince has passed away. Like Bowie, Prince left an impact on just about everyone, and artists are beginning to pay him tribute. Fellow Minneapolis resident and influential musician in his own right, Bob Mould just posted a lengthy tribute on Facebook:
I never spoke with Prince. He always struck me as a private guy. Maybe he was shy around strangers. We never had much actual interaction – a couple nods in passing, but no real words were exchanged.
The Twin Cities of the 1980s was a very special time for all of us local musicians. There were the North Minneapolis R&B artists, the South Minneapolis guitar rock bands, and in the center of it all was First Avenue/7th Street Entry.
I’ve seen Prince perform sold out shows with The Revolution at First Ave, he and a rhythm section jamming as a guitar/bass/drums three piece in the Entry for 30 people, and was selfishly frustrated when he took over “the main room” for 25 days of filming Purple Rain.
I had the pleasure of spending seven days recording the basic tracks for my first solo album at Paisley Park in December 1988. It was the most professional studio I had ever seen at that point in my life. On the seventh day, I moved from the B room to Studio A, which was Prince’s primary room. I remember seeing Sheila E’s percussion in one of the isolation booths. The large control room was decorated with several of Prince’s scarves. It certainly felt like Prince’s home.Prince was an artist through and through – always pushing himself to new levels, often creating controversy through his actions and words, and ultimately creating a lifetime of wonderful memories for the world with his incredible volumes of published (and unheard) works.
I heard the news while driving from Tomah WI to Minneapolis. I immediately flipped on The Current 89.3 FM to make sure what I was hearing was true. Sure enough, there was a live report from outside Paisley Park confirming the sad news of Prince’s passing.
I’m two blocks from First Avenue as I write these words. Friday and Saturday nights, I will walk that same stage we all know from the movie. The exterior walls of First Avenue are covered with stars to honor the musicians who made an impact on music fans in Minnesota.Make no mistake: Prince was the brightest star in these Northern skies. My deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow musicians. Prince’s music will give consolation and comfort to the collective grief. Godspeed.
And Twitter has been nonstop all day. Here are a few of the odes to the Purple One:
He Changed The World!! A True Visionary. What a loss. I'm Devastated. This is Not A Love Song. pic.twitter.com/x4JaSxRraC
— Madonna (@Madonna) April 21, 2016
Saddened by Prince's death. Proud to have seen in the New Year with him. He seemed fine and played brilliantly funky music.
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) April 21, 2016
Rest in peace and power Prince. pic.twitter.com/i4GEUGW7QN
— First Avenue (@FirstAvenue) April 21, 2016
Right now there are no words that can express the feelings we all have for our dear brother Prince… Thank you! https://t.co/Ou3PrL24Xy
— Morris Day (@TheMorrisDay) April 21, 2016
#RIP our dearly beloved #Prince. Tears and love on our tour bus. @CHICorg @nilerodgers I'll never forget my brother. We've had #good times
— Nile Rodgers (@nilerodgers) April 21, 2016
I'm shocked to hear that Prince passed at such a young age. Musically, he could do it all: sing, play, arrange and produce. Love & Mercy
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) April 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/SpikeLee/status/723199270002778112
This is so heartbreaking💔 I had this Prince pic drawn on my wall years ago because his music inspired so many R.I.P😥 pic.twitter.com/60msa6hm3I
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) April 21, 2016
Long Live The King.
— ?st (@questlove) April 21, 2016
I LOVED him, the world LOVED him. Now he's at peace with his Father. Rest in power, @prince, my brother. pic.twitter.com/ZN6cc3WWuF
— C H A K A | K H A N (@ChakaKhan) April 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/whoisMGMT/status/723219187833835521
I'm so sad we've lost @prince the legend,the master,a musical juggernaut that knew no boundaries.He left indelible footprints in music.😔RIP
— Gloria Estefan (@GloriaEstefan) April 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/723208596679348224
https://twitter.com/belindaofficial/status/723207911967612928
Prince Rogers Nelson
That
Is
ALL— Vernon Reid (@vurnt22) April 21, 2016
An iconic Minnesotan, Prince got his start in Mpls & shared his talent w/ the world. Take a moment to remember him: https://t.co/EMUkSYjJxx
— U.S. Senator Al Franken (@SenFranken) April 21, 2016
Prince was a true gentleman, a king among men. He was as sharp and as talented as they come. I'm so glad I was lucky enough to work with him
— zooey deschanel (@ZooeyDeschanel) April 21, 2016
In my lifetime, there's never been an artist like Prince: so fearless, so uncompromising, so devoted to his music. This loss is incaculable
— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) April 21, 2016
Went to so many of his fab secret shows always on too late always very long but always too thrilling to be tired.. #Prince
— Marc Almond (@MarcAlmond) April 21, 2016
Sad news today – Prince is gone. Music has lost a great presence. A world less funky. I don't want to believe it.
— Simon Le Bon (@SimonJCLeBON) April 21, 2016
PRINCE IS DEAD. LONG LIVE PRINCE. THE ROYAL PURPLE MAESTRO CHANGED MUSIC, MY LOVE OF IT. THANK YOU NOW AND FOREVER. pic.twitter.com/vsxZVFty7A
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) April 21, 2016
No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— ErykahBadoula (@fatbellybella) April 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/therealelp/status/723194630301339653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Prince, if you can still hear, thank you for your musical genius, love and hiring KILLER lady musicians when no one else would. We owe you.😓
— Neko Case (@NekoCase) April 21, 2016
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜purple rain💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
— Amanda Palmer 🎹 (@amandapalmer) April 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/723198977324122112
https://twitter.com/flyinglotus/status/723198081978650624
RIP PRINCE..ONE OF THE SADDEST DAY’S TO SAY THE LEAST. HE WAS THE TRUE DEFINITION OF A REAL ARTIST. pic.twitter.com/wt3wA6NHe0
— 📷 (@NikkiSixx) April 21, 2016
IN HONOR OF THE BEAUTIFUL ONE • #PRINCE • NOTHING COMPARES 2 U • 1958-2016 pic.twitter.com/utJvwpbryN
— apollotheater (@ApolloTheater) April 21, 2016
If there was one person who seemed immortal… damn. So sad today.. rip Prince..
— nigel godrich 🌈 (@nigelgod) April 21, 2016
Shocked and saddened to hear the news about Prince. The music world will miss his prolific genius.
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) April 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/723198977324122112
https://twitter.com/Carrie_Rachel/status/723205304700145665
He played the greatest show I've ever seen, made a couple of my favourite albums and tons of my favourite songs. Nothing compares to Prince.
— Field Music (@fieldmusicmusic) April 21, 2016
What do we do now? PRINCE. No. I hope you weren't in much pain…your music saved me time and again.
— Duff McKagan (@DuffMcKagan) April 21, 2016