news roundup: prince departs our world

I was on my way to work yesterday when a woman sitting across from me let out a bloodcurdling scream. Everyone’s attention turned to her, but she wasn’t in distress, just gaping at her phone. “I’m sorry,” she apologized to the packed subway car. “I just read that Prince is dead.” Strangers started murmuring to each other: was it true? Everyone got out their own phone, trying to verify it, but there isn’t any cell phone service once the J train leaves Essex Street. By the time I got above ground, it had been confirmed: Prince had been found dead in an elevator at his Minnesota recording studio. He was 57.

2016 has been a rough year for the world of music. We’ve lost a lot of people: Merle Haggard, Phife Dawg, Frank Sinatra Jr., Maurice White, Glenn Fey. And of course, it started in January with the death of David Bowie, an icon so unique, so beloved and larger-than-life that he seemed immune to such a human problem, like the rest of us. Prince fit this category, too: who would have expected this to happen, now? And as the artists we knows and love age, who will be next? 

We don't need to explain Prince's legacy here; if you're the kind of person who cares about music, you already know. We also don't need to speculate on the cause of his death, which has not yet been announced. His life was way more important. What we do need, and still have, is his music. Here's one of our favorite Prince songs: