“I never meant to cause you any sorrow

I never meant to cause you any pain.

I only wanted to one time see you laughing

I only wanted to see you

Laughing in the purple rain.”

It is a fitting rain that falls heavy in Cleveland today. Tragically, the world has been robbed of the legendary and unflinchingly innovative artist, Prince. Like David Bowie’s unexpected death earlier this year, Prince’s death at the age of 57 left many of us devastated, not only in the absence left behind that can never dare be filled, but in the unexpected nature in which we were all robbed of his genius.

Responding to a call, police discovered the artist’s body in an elevator within his distinctive Paisley Park residence in his hometown of Minneapolis, but were unable to revive him. Coming on the heels of a recent emergency plane landing in Illinois earlier this week and subsequent cancelled shows due to reported flu-like symptoms, there were concerns regarding Prince’s health but no one expected Thursday’s devastating outcome.

Born as Prince Rogers Nelson, Prince fought fiercely for artist’s rights and ownership of his creativity on his terms throughout his career. Most famously was his long-running dispute with former record label, Warner Brothers. After scrawling “slave” on his cheek for a nationally televised performance, he changed his name to an unutterable glyph after Warner Brothers claimed ownership of his own name. What followed was a remarkably transformative era for the artist that saw him not only challenging himself to surpass past efforts but the very limits of modern music as a whole.

Whether it is Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Red Corvette, Raspberry Beret, 1999, etc, each of us has a definitive Prince song. It is that same wide palate that is a testament to his ever-evolving sound and image. Beyond the stunning falsetto and sexiest smile in rock, Prince was arguably the most criminally underappreciated guitarists of the modern era. But none of these accolades were sought after. Prince was never one to seek out publicity. He had no need to, in fact he shunned over-exposure. He made us come to him. Almost an antiquated notion in this era, Prince held his cards close to the chest and enveloped himself in a level of mystique that captivated fans the world over for decades.

There had been no one like him before, and we at Pressure Life are all too painfully aware that there will never be another like him.

Farewell, sweet Prince. Nothing compares to you.