What is it with 2016 being the year to take some of our much loved and multi-talented celebrities? On Wednesday it was the wonderfully witty Victoria Wood, prior to that it was the great David Bowie and the wonderful Alan Rickman, not to mention the very talented Terry Wogan and hilariously funny Ronnie Corbett, to name but a few. And then of course, yesterday, we were informed of the death of the iconic musician Prince.

Prince’s UK publicist said “It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57.”

Prince was allegedly a great believer in Chem Trails – perhaps he was onto something or perhaps 2016 is just proving to be a crappy year for the loss of some great and influential people.

I loved Prince. His music played a huge part in my formative years. I often remember, with great fondness, slow dancing to Purple Rain, along with the likes of George Michael’s Careless Whisper and Spandau Ballet’s True, at the end of school and college disco’s. And 1999 – what an amazing song. When I listened to that song, I was young, inexperienced about life and 1999 was a lifetime away. I was pretty convinced when that particular year did come around, my angst ridden years would be long gone and the world, and my place in it, would make perfect sense. How naive was I?

It wasn’t just Prince’s music that I loved though, a multi-instrumentalist, actor and record producer, he was also flamboyant and eclectic. Like David Bowie, he dared to be different, which was a nod to those of us that didn’t quite ‘fit in’ that it was actually ok to march to the tune of your own drum.

Prince produced and released many albums over the course of his career, some of the notable releases were:

1. For You. 1978. Prince’s debut album, released when he was 19.
2. 1979. Included his first signature tune, “I Wanna Be Your Lover.”
3. Dirty Mind. 1980. Featuring Prince in a thong on the cover, the record helped cement the singer’s ascendency to pop superstardom.
4. 1982. The album’s title track would become an anthem for millennium parties the world over.
5. Purple Rain. 1984. The soundtrack album to a movie of the same name, the record would later be recognized as one of the greatest of all time.
6. 1986. Featuring arguably his most-recognized song ever, “Kiss.”
7. Sign o’ the Times. 1987. A defining soundtrack to the 1980s, Prince demonstrated his musical scope with a swirling kaleidoscope of sounds.
8. 1988. Prince sparked controversy by posing nude on the cover of the album, which includes the classic “Alphabet St.”
9. 2006. Prince’s 31st studio album, debuting at No.1, marked a major comeback and his first album to hit the top spot since “Batman” in 1989.
10. 2014. Featuring his backing group 3rdeyegirl, the record showcased Prince’s continued hunger to experiment, innovate and entertain.

(This list was copied from The Telegraph article by Raziye Akkoc and David Lawler which you can read here)

I listened to Purple Rain as I lay in bed last night and was amazed at how all the old places and experiences of my youth, played out across my thoughts like grainy old film footage.

Goodnight sweet Prince and thank you for the music.

I leave you with the opening verse from the aptly titled Freedom, a song from the 1999 album.

Don’t sleep, ’til sunrise, listen to the falling rain
Don’t worry, ’bout tomorrow, don’t worry ’bout your pain
Don’t cry, unless you’re happy, don’t smile unless you’re blue
Never let that lonely monster take control of you