When Pennie told me Prince had died my thoughts immediately fled to Bono.
I was 12 when Jimi Hendrix died, suddenly and all at once.
I was 19 when Elvis died at the snap of a finger. Elvis was 42.
Michael Jackson and I were exactly the same age when he checked out at 50.
Prince – another commander of the spotlight – recently heard that same fingersnap.
*snap* Lights out. The show’s over.
“What? No warning?”
“I warned you the day you were born. Now get in the box.”
Wow.
My thoughts fled to Bono because he’s one of the last showmen of that breed.
Great showmen are like fireworks, lighting up the sky, thundering with a voice that can’t be ignored. And then all at once, they’re gone.
And the night is black and quiet.
Live each day as if you believe it to be your last.
Because one day you’ll be right.
Roy H. Williams
PS – I know you don’t think you can spare 6 minutes. I get it. I didn’t have 6 minutes to spare, either, but a friend told me that I should watch this video of Prince playing guitar in tribute to George Harrison. For the first 3:25 I thought I had the wrong video. Prince wasn’t even in the shot. This was Tom Petty and Steve Winwood singing While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And then Prince took over and The Show began and I got an education. – RHW