Four Short Years Ago Today, We Lost Our Purple Majesty

On April 21, 2016, one of the world's greatest songwriter/multi-instrumentalists, Prince, died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl. He was only 57 years old.

Four years ago today, Prince was found in the elevator of his Paisley Park recording complex just outside Minneapolis. He was unconscious when he was discovered and paramedics were unable to revive him. Less than 25 minutes later, he was pronounced dead.

Prince was truly one-of-a-kind. Just like his idol Stevie Wonder, Prince was not a recording artist you could easily pigeonhole. Prince was at ease in several music genres, whether it was pop, soul, rock, funk, dance, adult-contemporary, and even hard rock. Also, like Stevie Wonder, Prince could play almost every musical instrument, and often did. Many of his songs were performed strictly by him and no-one else.

Prince was also comfortable writing songs for other artists or bands. Just a few worth mentioning: Sinead O'Conner's smash hit, "Nothing Compares 2 U"; The Bangles hit song, "Manic Monday"(written under the pseudonym "Christopher"); Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You"; Sheila E's "The Glamorous Life" and Celine Dion's "With This Tear".

I was fortunate to catch a Prince show in Boston back in the early 90's. I still rank that concert in my Top 5 All-Time. Prince played the guitar that night like he was trying to rid himself of some inner demon. I mean, he flat-out ROCKED. Don't believe me? Seated just a few rows ahead of me were 4 out of the 5 members of Aerosmith. There's a word for that. That word is....RESPECT.

Thanks for the great songs, the great concert and the many musical memories, Prince.