Editor's Note: Prince Dies, A Generation Mourns

Prince died.

The words, they stopped the day. Literally, the news shook to the core. A grown woman, those words brought me, and a generation, to instant, shocked tears.

Even writing them, the words, they don't seem true. When the news first crept onto the internet, spreading insidiously, the first hope was that it was another one of those celebrity death hoaxes. That we'd click a few more times and see Prince's smiling, slightly sardonic face, reassuring us all that he was, indeed, alive and still filled with the talent and frenzied energy that kept fans dancing for decades.

The first time I saw Prince live was during the "Purple Rain" tour in 1985. It was a concert on the Pier in New York, and the crowd was pressed closely together in the heavy air. When Prince burst onto the stage, a writhing, undulating presence, his raw sensuality infused every lyric. He shattered boundaries and drew us into his rhythmic tease, his masterful seduction, with lyrics that shocked mainstream America and brought that young, twentysomething 80s generation along on a wicked ride that would last a lifetime.

Songs such as "Darling Nikki" were infused with such blatantly explicit lyrics that it led to the creation of the Parents Music Resource Center, which put warnings about graphic language on albums.

But for the generation coming of age when Prince took the stage, a whirling dervish of talent and burning heat, his music was a sultry glimpse into hidden secrets we'd yet to experience. His voice, sometimes mournful, was a cross between little boy lost and the forbidden lover of so many young girls' dreams.

"Little Red Corvette," well, we all sang along about a ride so smooth, it must've been a limousine.

Even years later, when we twentysomethings had traded in our 80s fashion for mom jeans, we sang along to "Little Red Corvette."

It was only a year or so ago that my own son, now 23, heard the familiar strains on the radio in the car and looked a me, incredulously. "Mom, I just realized what this song is about," he said.

I just smiled.

Born Prince Nelson Rogers in Minneapolis, Prince, who died at only 57 Thursday, was always a bit of a mystery. He kept his inner life closely guarded, and was fiercely protective of his music; his hatred of piracy and the sharing of music on the internet was well documented. He stirred the pot when he changed his name into a symbol and used the moniker "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince."

Later, when Prince rocked the stage at the Ross School in East Hampton during a series of high end concerts, his talent was even more richly honed with time. Ever the consummate artist, Prince was onstage for hours before that show, rehearsing every note, every word, every nuance, until he'd achieved sheer perfection.

Those moments gave fans a glimpse into the kind man Prince was, taking the time to laugh and joke with his musicians and crew, smile at the women who sidled shyly by, hoping for a glimpse of rock royalty.

Even celebrities at the show were starstruck: Kelly Ripa said she'd been a fan since "Purple Rain," when she had coveted nosebleed seats for her favorite performer.

His voice helped us party like it was "1999," was the backdrop for our failed romances — when we young girls sang, "I Would Die 4 You," again and again, dancing in our rooms with 80s hair, off the shoulder sweatshirts, and Prince.

His was the voice of a generation, a talent so dazzling, so absolutely alive in its magnificence, I think we all fooled ourselves into thinking Prince might very well live forever.

We've lost so many big name musicians already in 2016. The list staggers.

Stars such as Prince, and David Bowie, iconic, shimmering lights, those unique talents are forever dimmed.

We'll never see another Prince, not in this lifetime or likely, any other.

The news of his death stunned the music world, as peers mourned the passing of a creative genius.

"#RIP our dearly beloved #Prince. Tears and love on our tour bus. @CHICorg @nilerodgers I'll never forget my brother. We've had #good times," Nile Rodgers said on Twitter.

"This is what it sounds like when doves cry.. Prince R.I.P. Condolences to his family & 2 us all," Whoopi Goldberg tweeted.

We're so used to waking up and hearing that the world has lost another voice, another talent, far too soon. But this, the cut is deep.

"How can you just leave me standing, alone in a world that's so cold." The lyrics, to "When Doves Cry" ring all too true, suddenly.

I think we'd all like to imagine that Prince has found the forever he told all about:

"Dearly beloved, We are gathered here today, 2 get through this thing called life, Electric word life, It means forever and that's a mighty long time, But I'm here 2 tell u, There's something else. The afterworld. A world of never ending happiness. U can always see the sun, day or night."

Here's hoping you've found your afterworld, our sweet Prince.

We guess this is what it sounds like, when doves cry.

Patch photo courtesy of Micahmedia at en.wikipedia.