Dearly beloved,

I hope this evening’s entry finds all of you happy, loved, and thriving! With this unpredictable ride we call life, we all never know what a day will confer and bring, and sadly on April 21 the world lost an indelible legend. The music icon known as Prince and sometimes a symbol was a musical genius who began his decade-spanning career in 1978 with the release of his debut album. Since then, the one of a kind, genre-defying, and ever-evolving artist brought the world funk, soul, and everything in between with hits such as ‘When Doves Cry,’ ‘1999’, ‘Kiss’, ‘Rasberry Beret’, ‘Diamonds and Pearls’, ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, and ‘Little Red Corvette.’ Prince’s undeniable mark on the musical world will leave a void that will never be filled and what his musical stylings meant to fans around the world will never be forgotten.

The world lost a true music original, and while this entry is a tribute to Prince and his irrefutable musical talent, we are gathered here today to discuss this deplorable media circus that has happened since the fall of our cherished artist. In the days and weeks since the sudden passing of Prince, the media has dedicated ridiculous amounts of air time and print space speculating on everything from the cause of his death to who will inherit his sizable fortune, and to me this is a journalistic spectacle that occurs much too frequently. In the wake of any celebrity’s death, the ensuing news frenzy that sensationalizes every part of the star’s life and makes their earthly days into a sudsy soap opera for our consumption is a reprehensible practice that needs to stop.

As a student of the world of communications, I fully understand that we live in a dollars and cents world and that the world of news is at the end of the day a business. Scandalous headlines and sensationalistic tales of a celebrity’s private life, loves, struggles and predilections sells better than thoughtful musings and dedications to the artist and their legacy, and this is an unfortunate fact of the media-driven world we live in. As such, this is my small ode to this lost legend and my humble contribution to counteract the lurid and lamentable tales that may be circulating from major news outlets to the deepest corners of the Internet.

The sensationalism and condemnable coverage may never stop and newsmakers may never take a step back and simply let the fallen star rest in peace. However, if enough adoring fans and revering devotees send their own positive love and vibes for the person into the universe and share their personal memories of how much they loved an artist such as Prince, perhaps we can help their star shine a little brighter and put their beautiful soul at eternal ease. I will end this love letter to Prince and my wishes for the future by saying “Good night, sweet prince”. You will live in our hearts, and our iPods, for as long as we all shall live!