Tag Archives: Prince

The legendary, Rick James, detailed in his book, “Glow,” exactly what went down on the night he got into it with the iconic, Prince. It was about to be a clash of thigh high boots, braid extensions, and blouses flying in the air (in a manly type of way though) when Rick and Prince came THIS close to throwin’ blows back in the day! As we all know, Prince was private, but Rick lived his life like an open book, which is why he had no problem revealing that he wanted to -and I quote- “kick Prince’s a$$.” Although it was a serious situation, the way Rick described this is actually pretty funny and a it’s fond memory of two incredibly talented legends gone way too soon.

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE DISSED HIS MOM?

Rick James wrote about the time he tried to fight Prince backstage at an awards show, after Prince turned down Rick’s mother’s autograph request. To Prince’s credit, he didn’t know that was Rick’s Mom, but that didn’t matter to Rick- he was PISSED after his Mom told him she was dissed by Prince. Here is what Rick James wrote about that night:

That’s all I needed to hear. I chased after that little turd. I caught up with him and was about to lay him out when his manager stepped in.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Rick?” asked the manager. I told him Prince had dissed Mom and that I was gonna kick his scrawny ass. Prince explained that he didn’t know who Mom was. “Well, now you know, motherfucker,” I said.

[…] Prince apologized to Mom and apologized to me. I was a little disappointed ‘cause I really did wanna kick his ass.’

Really? A “turd” Rick?!! LOL…the visual on this Rick James/Prince blow up is hilarious, but that wasn’t the first time they had beef. SEE WHERE THIS TENSION STARTED…

RICK JAMES CLAIMED PRINCE PLAYED HIM

Rick James made it widely known that he wasn’t a fan of Prince. Their issues date back to the late 70’s/early 80’s, when Prince opened up for Rick James’ tour. In his book, “Glow,” Rick alleged that Prince jacked his style on tour, stole his concept for his 80’s girl group, Mary Jane Girls (pictured in the photo)…AND his original lead singer. Rick said he told Prince about his girl group he was building, with it’s lead singer, Denise “Vanity” Matthews. According to Rick, when Vanity saw Prince for the first time backstage at an award show, she left with him instead and never returned to Rick. The next thing he knew, Prince had formed his own girl group, Vanity 6, and made Vanity the lead singer.

Like we always say, there was rarely a dull day in the lives of some of our favorite icons and this is proof of that. May Prince, Vanity, and Rick James, forever rest in peace and we thank them for the timeless music and the priceless stories, like this one, that put smiles on our faces as we reminisce.

The day Halle Berry’s R&B ex-husband linked up with the ex-wife of the iconic Prince, it was a stroke of fate. They met at a Los Angeles bar and Eric Benet instantly ‘fell in love’ with the woman who seems to have a giving heart. When Eric began dating his now-wife, Manuela Testolini, he thought he’d found his soulmate, which apparently he did. However, what he later learned, was that he’d also found something of a treasure in Manuela, after eventually learning the music icon he idolized was her ex-husband.

Eric has been married to Manuela for 11 years (since 2011). Their wedding came six years after Eric and Halle divorced in 2005; and 5 years after Manuela and Prince divorced in 2006.

How Eric Benet Found Out His Wife Was Prince’s Ex-Wife

It’s unclear exactly what year Manuela and Eric began kickin’ it, but we do know it was during Manuela’s divorce proceedings from her then-hubby, Prince. Eric Benet confirmed this in a prior interview on Van Lathan’s “The Red Pill” podcast. Turns out, he also had no clue who exactly he was dating for at least the first two months of his relationship with Manuela:

Via Yahoo- “We’re seeing each other for, like, a couple of months and during those couple of months she’s telling me that she’s going through a divorce…,” [Eric Benet] said, explaining he realized this was no ordinary split and there was a lot of money at stake.

“Her name is Testolini, so for some reason I thought she was married to some Italian (guy)… I was driving her to the airport… and she gave me some other details and finally I was like, ‘Who is this guy…?’ and so she just kind of laughed and said, ‘Prince’. I was like, ‘Prince who…?’ By that time we were already like (an item).”

Benet Admits He Couldn’t Measure Up To Prince

Via Yahoo- The fact he was dating Prince’s ex made Eric step up his dating game, adding, “Usually, if I’m dating somebody and I invite her to the studio, it’s like, that’s a thing… It’s like, ‘Wow, I get to see how you create and this is so fascinating’. And then once I found out it was Prince, I was like, ‘I ain’t s**t, man…!’. My studio is (small).”

What Happened When Prince Put Benet On The Spot

As if it wasn’t already pressure enough for the brotha to try to come behind Prince in the dating department, Eric Benet revealed how nervous he was when Prince put him on the spot during their first meeting. In fact, from what the R&B crooner described to Lathan, he was damn near like a deer caught in headlights at that moment.

You see, Eric Benet was just getting his career poppin’ when he met Prince at his concert. Prince was headlining the show and Benet was in the audience, soakin’ up the greatness of the icon who stood before the crowd. In the midst of performing, Prince apparently recognized Benet and called him up on stage. Here’s what happened next though:

Via Music News- “Prince saw me in the audience and told me to get up…,” he recalled. “I kick myself about this… but when you respect somebody (like that), when he pulled me onstage I was blown away… He was doing some jam…”

And when the headliner [Prince] handed Eric the microphone, the young star just freaked out and screamed.

“He said, ‘The next time I invite you onstage you better sing’,” Benet laughed, adding, “Any musician out there now owes a debt to Prince… We’re all standing on the shoulders of that guy.”

Must be a cool feeling for that ‘Prince moment’ to come full circle for Eric Benet. He and his wife now have two beautiful young girls together, and Eric has an older daughter from a prior marriage. Manuela still works with her late ex-husband, Prince’s, philanthropic foundations to this day. She has also built a school in Africa under his name.

ILOSM family, before we get into why music icon, Sade, called the late, great Prince, “trashy,” we wanna first send her some love simply for giving us all timeless R&B classics that are still applause-worthy to this day. By the way, the 63-year-old is still hella sexy these days too, but I digress…

Anywho, for years I’ve wondered why Sade was so ‘shy,’ when it came to doing interviews- which she mostly ran away from like the plague. However, after reading her very candid 1988 interview with Interview Magazine, I’m now starting to think she’s ‘shied away’ from interviews not because she’s ‘shy’…but instead, because she’s too real. Therefore, Sade has probably concluded that it’d be wise to keep her opinions on the low. But there was one time when she let her real opinions fly…and the iconic Prince was on the receiving end of that..

Sade Had No Problem Speaking Her Mind

The Nigerian-British songstress hails from a bloodline of people known for speaking their minds. Her Pops was Nigerian and her Moms was British. Both Nigerians and Brits are widely known for telling it like it is. So, Sade seemingly inherited those traits, which displayed in her interview with Interview Magazine.

Sade Was Asked If Being A “Perfectionist” Helped Her Music, Then She Mentioned Prince

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“Perhaps it’s detrimental in a way. Somebody like Prince, for instance — I think he’s quite slapdash. He’s a bit like a bull—he goes in with his horns down and charges, but there’s a chance he’s going to hit the right spot. He produces a lot.”- Sade, 1988

“Much Of What He Does Is Trashy”

Sade: “I think much of what he (Prince) does is quite trashy and don’t like it all, but every now and then he does something that is really genius. He’s very, very talented, but the most important thing about Prince is that he’s braver than a lot of other people.”

Sade Then Made A Personal Confession

Sade: “I don’t think I’m as brave as that. I may be too proud and scared of losing face, and maybe that does somewhat stifle what we do. Maybe I look too closely at what we do, and it’s not necessary to be that concerned.”

Sade Also Revealed The “Rumors” About Her That She Hates

Sade Complained About Rumors Surrounding Her Love Life

“Every time the press talked about me, the headlines were  ‘Lovesick Sade, Sad, Sad, Sade, things like that. They would say, ‘Lovesick Sade is shut away in her penthouse flat,’ as if I were Marie Antoinette; anyone would think I had a moat around my house.” – Sade

“They Think I’m Barry Manilow! LOL”

“Then they said, ‘Lovesick Sade is having a glass window put above her bed so she can gaze at the stars in her lonely nights,’ or something like that. …And they said that I was having a dance floor put in my living room. They think I’m Barry Manilow! [laughs]”

Sade Is Reserved, But Her Transgender Son Is The TOTAL Opposite

In 2016, Sade’s, daughter, Mickailia (pictured above as a biological female), publicly came out as her transgender son, Izaak Theo, on ‘National Coming Out Day.’ Ever since then, Izaak has been sharing his life, triumphs and struggles as a transgender man with the world.

By May 2018, Izaak had proudly shared a topless photo on social media, after having his breasts surgically removed. He captioned the above photo with a profound message: “My scars set me free.”

So How Does Sade Feel About Izaak’s Gender Transition?

As y’all can see, Sade couldn’t care less if her daughter is a ‘she,’ or her transgender son is now a ‘he’…she loves her some Izaak Theo unconditionally! It looks like the ‘bravery’ Sade once admired in Prince, is what she now equally admires in her trans son. Beautiful!

After Prince passed away in 2016, many hopped on social media to express their love and heartfelt memories. Nia Long was one of them. At that time, posted a message, via Instagram, recounting the time she’d met Prince and he’d tried to “holla” at her, as well as what happened afterwards.

That Time The “Purple One” Tried To Get With Nia Long

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Nia Long remember that time the Prince hit on her, and what happened after.

At 18 I met him in a club. We talked. He asked me out. Believing he was out of my league, I declined. Years later we met again at my 21st birthday party in NYC. We sat in a booth together and talked about his love for my short hair. I expressed my love for his music and style. I wonder if he remembers me? I will never forget my encounters with PRINCE. RIP #LadyCabDriver

Nia also explains this in the video interview below…

Nia Long & Chris Rock Hilariously Recall The Time They Tried Dating & Why He Dissed Her

ILOSM fam,’ you ever went on a date and wished that you could get those hours of your life back? Or maybe you’ve gone on a date and thought that everything was all good, only to find out your date felt the complete opposite? Depending on which of them is telling their sides of the story, both of those dating disasters apply to the time actress, Nia Long, and actor/comedian, Chris Rock, tried to date each other. They revealed their hilarious dating nightmare in two prior interviews and get this, Chris Rock had the nerve to diss the hella beautiful, Nia Long at that time. Check out what they revealed below…

Nia Long’s Side Of The Story

In an upcoming interview on TV One’s Uncensored, the 47 year old actress, told her side of the story as she recalled her date night wit Chris Rock:

“I remember Chris Rock and I were set up on a blind date. He was on Saturday Night Live. We went out. We hated each other. I was like, ‘This dude is not even that fu*king funny.’ And he’s the only dude that has ever given me a false number [laughs].”

In a prior interview that Rock and Nia did together on the Wendy Williams Show Nia gave even more intricate details about their blind date back in the day. She recalled how even though she didn’t think Rock was funny, she still felt that their date went well. She was also under the impression that they would probably be going on date number 2 and that she didn’t realize Rock wasn’t feelin’ her until days later, when she first discovered he’d given her the wrong number…

Nia Long: “We went on a date and after we kinda hung out, and then he took me back to Brooklyn [where Nia was living at the time] and I’m like ‘Okay, so I guess this is the part where you exchange numbers.’ Make a long story short and a week goes by and I didn’t hear from him, he gave me his number and I gave him mine, and I’m like ‘God, he didn’t call me.’ And um, finally I call him and I dial the number and this…man, gave me a wrong number!”

Rock had a different perspective though, see what he had to say below…

Chris Rock’s Side & Why He Dissed Her

During that same Wendy Williams Show interview, Chris Rock revealed that everything was all good with their date, until Nia said this one thing that completed turned him off. He said when he’d asked her if she was seeing anyone at that time, Nia’s reply was “No, but I know where to get some di*k if I need it.” LOL.

Gotta love Nia Long for her realness and Chris Rock for his willingness to not just be persuaded by the pretty face and sticking to his personal likes and dislikes when it comes to his choice in women.
Watch their hilarious interview clip below…

https://youtu.be/JyHi4FyfZ5o

If you know anything about the film, Purple Rain, then you’re bound to remember the characters with even the most smallest of roles in that iconic 1984 classic. Singer/actress, Jill Jones, is widely known for her role as the ‘nightclub waitress,’ who was sweet on “The Kid” (Prince’s character) in the movie. There are several other factors about her that many people may not know. Some of those include the fact that she was dating Prince back then (as were a few other female singers too), and that she has an unexpected deep family connection to the infamous Gordy fam.’

Jill exposed many previously unknown tidbits of shocking info about her past in a prior interview with Huffington Post.

Jill Jones On Why Prince Made Her Pass For White

In case y’all hadn’t noticed, even though Jill is oftentimes mistaken for a 100% Caucasian women, she’s actually African American and Italian. During the time that Jill was a part of Prince’s band, it was her White side, that her then-boyfriend, Prince, used to his band’s advantage when it came to uppin’ their spins on channels with predominantly White audiences, according to Jill.

When explaining how grateful she was that Prince gave a “voice” to biracial women like herself back then, Jill detailed his larger plan at connecting with all audiences…by tricking non-Black folks to an extent:

Jill Jones- “[Prince] really gave us a voice because I went through my life trying to figure out how do I fit in? Prince kind of helped. It appealed to putting blonde hair on me made the ratio on stage to appeal to the MTV generation. Black folks always knew I was Black. It’s just…we know (laughs).”

Despite It All… Jill Says Prince Was Pro-Black All Day, Everyday

Even though Prince did what he felt he had to do in to get his music videos seen and heard by the masses back in the day, Jill says do NOT get it twisted, the brotha was about as pro-Black as they come in real life:

Huffington Post- Though his image was provocative, he proudly embraced being Black.

Jill Jones- Having a Black man kissing a White woman on stage was provocative because it addressed what was happening in the culture. He came back to it [his Black roots]. He loved performing and he loved our community. He had the capacity to really set the world on fire with his words. […] He had a public side that he wanted to show but once he left the white record system, he was free to be, “This is who I really am.” He was a brotha. I don’t care what people wanna say. No, he was not Sammy lunchmeat! I’m sitting here and looking at everyone revising his history and somebody has to get on it because they’re just leaving out the chunks that matter!

Jill Jones & The Gordy Family Are Connected On A Deep Level

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Jill Jones is Berry Gordy’s step-niece and the stepdaughter to Berry’s Motown Records executive brother, Fuller Gordy. Her mother was a well-known manager in the industry, who worked with many known artists alongside husband, Fuller. It was during a tour that her mom and stepdad were both involved, that then teenaged Jill met Prince:

“I don’t meet people and say something provocative. He [Prince] stirred my being, he unnerved me, he rattled me. I had not met anyone like him and I was really defiant with him out of the reactionary response. I was walking up the stairs coming from the sound check, he was coming down and we looked at each other eye-to-eye and kind of stopped. He said, ‘Hi.’ I went, ‘Hi. So what, the stage isn’t big enough for all of us or something really sh——.”

Years later, the two started dating and Prince had written the song, “She’s Always In My Hair,” about Jill Jones for his 1985 album, “Around the World In A Day.” However, Jill says that by the time Prince’s movie, Grafitti Bridge was released, she soon learned that, so was she- at least from Prince’s romantic life, that is:

“When you got an album completed, you were done as a romantic interest. Like, you were still there but he was putting you in a place where you weren’t going to just be a happy power couple. You were given your wings to go do your thing. His ability to let go of your how fast or slow, that’s because he was juggling, like we say, the inspiration for all these women. Some guys send you flowers, Prince would just give you an album (laughs).”

I tell ya,’ the things we learn when we do a lil’ digging.

Source

The late, great Prince was an extremely gifted artist/musician/songwriter…and according to his younger sister, Tyka Nelson, he was a gifted visionary as well. Tyka revealed to Entertainment Tonight that Prince had a vision about his death. Therefore, while Prince’s death caught the world completely off guard, it seemingly didn’t surprise Tyka one bit, because she said Prince had already prepared her for his August 21, 2016 death just two years prior to. See what she said below… *scroll down for video*

TYKA ON PRINCE’S DEATH: “I KNEW IT WAS COMING”

Via ET: Prince’s tragic death shocked the world earlier this year, but the musician’s sister, Tyka Nelson, told ET she expected it. “It wasn’t hard at all,” Nelson said about coming to grips with Prince’s death. “It was a two-word phone call: ‘He’s gone.’ And I knew who he meant. I hung up the phone. An employee of Prince called. I have been preparing for two years, so I knew that it was coming.”

According to Nelson, Prince hinted to her that his life was winding down. “He said it a couple of years ago: ‘I’ve done everything that I’ve come to do,'” she recalled. “I was crushed for about two years.”

WATCH TYKA NELSON’S INTERVIEW CLIP

TYKA’S MESSAGE TO THE MILLIONS OF FANS WHO ARE STILL GRIEVING PRINCE’S DEATH

Shortly after Prince’s 2016 passing, Tyka wanted his fans to know this:

“I’ve had two years to deal with it, but there’s a lot of people that have only had from April to now, so I guess I would say give it another year and a half and maybe you’ll be where I’m at,” [Tyka] said. “I’m sorry that you’re hurting.”

TYKA ON THE RELEASE OF PRINCE’S UNHEARD MUSIC

Via ET: “He’s written a massive amount of music and in one of our conversations, he said, ‘How I want to be remembered is as one of the most prolific writers in the world,'” Nelson recalled. “So I’m going to do everything that I can to make that dream come true…We’re going to pull it up and we’re going to remix it and we’re going to get it out,” she said.

Wow, Prince had a feeling he was going to die early? It’s really sad, but the one bright spot in all of this is that based on what his sister said, it sounds like he was at peace with that thought. Rest on Prince.

After Prince passed away in 2016, many previously unknown details about his private life surfaced. One such detail highlights how the music icon helped a grief-stricken family after an unjust tragedy, which is unfortunately still plaguing our African American community to this day- as we’ve seen with the murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd (and sadly,  far too many more) at the hands of police officers. Prince’s ex-wife and Rev. Al Sharpton gave refreshing insight into who Prince really was. Check out what Prince did for the family of the late Trayvon Martin and others below…

HOW PRINCE HELPED TRAYVON’S FAMILY IN MIDST OF TRAGEDY

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Rev. Al Sharpton revealed, to NYDaily News, what Prince did in 2012 after unarmed, Trayvon Martin (17), was fatally shot by George Zimmerman- the son of a Caucasian retired Supreme Court magistrate, who got off without any legal ramifications for the killing. Soon after Zimmerman brutally took Trayvon’s life, Sharpton was surprised when Prince called to tell him he wanted to help Trayvon’s family. However, the Purple Rain star wanted to remain anonymous, which is why he needed Sharpton’s help…

Al Sharpton: “I will never forget when he [Prince] called me and said he had some funds he wanted to give to Trayvon Martin’s family… Just out of the blue. Just out of the clear blue. He didn’t want anybody to know. He didn’t even want Trayvon Martin’s family to know where the funds came from.”

It seems that Trayvon Martin’s family probably didn’t find out that the donator was Prince until after Prince’s passing…wow. But wait…there’s more…

PRINCE’S EX-WIFE TELLS HOW HE HELPED EVERY INNER CITY HE PERFORMED IN

Although they amicably divorced in 2006, after 5 years of marriage, Prince’s second wife (now Eric Benet’s wife), Manuela Testolini, remained active in several of Prince’s philanthropic/humanitarian efforts. After Prince’s passing, Manuela did an interview with Rolling Stone and recalled the various ways Prince helped others. Prior to their romantic relationship, Manuela worked for Prince’s philanthropic organization, Love 4 One Another:

http://gty.im/74713174

Testolini sought a position at Love 4 One Another because she liked how the organization operated. “They were doing projects ranging from building community gardens to helping domestic shelters. […] When Prince would visit different cities for a concert, he would have work going on to complement the places he visited.” If Prince had a Philadelphia show in the middle of winter, his organization would do a coat drive or a food drive nearby. “You can imagine calling a food bank, saying, ‘You need to come here tomorrow with lots of trucks to pick up bins and bins of food,'” she says with a laugh. “It was a very effective, quick food drive and an easy way to make an impact. It was mobilizing people who were already interested and giving them a little way to impact their community.”

Prince’s ex also explained how he’d always help families he’d see on television, that were in need…

Manuela Testolini: “He wanted to be a catalyst for other people,” she says. “He would see a family on TV that was having trouble – they didn’t have health insurance and had trouble meeting the needs of a sick child – and instead of saying, ‘Wow, that’s really sad,’ he would leave a note on my desk saying, ‘Call this TV station and find out where these people are so we can help them.’ It was ongoing.”

PRINCE’S EX-WIFE BUILT AFRICAN SCHOOLS IN PRINCE’S HONOR

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Today, Manuela Testolini follows in her ex-husband’s philanthropic footsteps. She’s launched TWO SCHOOLS in Africa, in honor of Prince (one of them is named after him). She said Prince always wanted to start a school of his own. After his passing, she made it finally happen in October 2016 through her organization, In A Perfect World (a philanthropic organization Prince helped her to start and created the logo for).

Incredible! Prince is a great example of what it looks like when the seeds one plants while they’re here, continue to flourish and positively affect others…even in death.

Upon first glance at Tyka Nelson’s story, some would probably think that she was a little off of her rocker. She is the younger sister of Prince; she declined Prince’s help for her singing career; she used to carry around a stuffed dinosaur -on a leash- named Jazz, which she’s done past interviews with the dinosaur on a leash, claiming that it made her feel ‘safe’; and she once publicly admitted to having an imaginary lover named Marc Anthony.

The fact is that Tyka isn’t necessarily crazy, but she was battling many inner struggles throughout the years that ultimately led her to drug addiction and prostitution.

In 2003, Tyka Nelson did an interview, with the National Enquirer, that raised many eyebrows after she revealed why she was once selling her body. At that time, she’d also made some pretty harsh claims about her big brother, Prince. Below is what was reported in 2003:

Via N. E.- ‘Prince’s younger sister is a recovering crack addict who sold her body to support two sons while her brother lived in luxury.

Tyka Nelson [then 43] says the rock star has helped her financially at times, and he recently enrolled her in the drug rehap program that’s kept her clean and sober for months.

But at other times, [then-45-year-old] Prince has turned his back on her, Tyka said…

“I love my brother,” she told the ENQUIRER in an exclusive interview. “But I’m not a yo-yo. He can’t just keep spinning me in and out of his life.

Prince and his sister spent their early years together in northern Minneapolis before Tyka’s life spun out of control. While Prince was building a musical empire and earning millions, Tyka was often homeless, working as a prostitute.

“I was a single mother and my boys were babies,” Tyka recalled. “I sold my body for food, money and pampers.”

Tyka said her lowest point came three years ago, when she was living in a crack house. “I pawned the car Prince had given me and sold the kids’ TV for drugs,” she told The ENQUIRER.

In April, Prince entered her into an expensive rehab program.
“I relapsed once, but I’ve been clean for three months now,” she said. “It’s the longest I’ve been sober and drug-free in years.”

All too often we hear about siblings of superstars, who are in really jacked up positions in their lives, while their celebrity sibling is simultaneously soaring in their careers. It’s typically sparked by watching their sibling(s) reach heights that they will never reach, and living in their siblings shadow is sometimes too much for them to bear. But was it Prince’s fault that his sister, Tyka, had trouble living in his shadow and ultimately became addicted to crack cocaine? NO, not at all.

Tyka’s prior predicament could have been due to something that she could have been lacking long before Prince was ever a superstar. In fact, Tyka admitted having very low self-esteem as a child, and that Prince would try to talk to her about it sometimes, to no avail though.

Tyka’s pain of watching her brother succeed also probably stings a little bit harder than normal because she was trying to get her career poppin’ at the same time Prince was, but she didn’t achieve the same success. Here is what People Magazine reported in a 1998 interview with Tyka:

‘After graduating from Minneapolis’ North High, Tyka packed some songs and headed for California. “It was the same year [1977] Prince got his record deal,” she says. “I thought I’d be a star. I met Jimmy Durante’s piano tuner. That’s as close as I got to the stars.”

Returning to Minneapolis, Tyka spent a year in college studying art and psychology. While working as a bank teller, she became pregnant by a former classmate. Never married, she won’t reveal her sons’ father’s name, saying only that he left when she was pregnant with their second son and, unlike Uncle Prince, who always remembers the boys’ birthdays, rarely calls.

“Inside of me, it was like my soul and what I had to do to feed my family was always split,” Tyka says. “I was writing lyrics while I was supposed to be working. I’d look up and there’s my supervisor.”‘

As far as we know, up until Prince’s last days, Tyka Nelson was still trying to nurture her singing career, without the help of her big brother, who clearly loved her very much. She is 60 years young and has released six albums throughout her career. She has totally changed her life around and is a devoted Christian as well. We’re not sure what the future holds for her singing career, but we wish her the best with it. Tyka’s ambition to still keep striving for her goals and for her sobriety is very inspiring and we respect her for being able to be so open about her trials and her triumphs.

When Prince’s former protege,’ Denise “Vanity” Matthews, passed away in 2016, it shocked the R&B world to no end. Not many were more heartbroken than Vanity’s ex-boyfriend, Prince, though. Although their lives had gone two different paths in their latter years- Vanity became a evangelist preacher; and Prince continued his musical career- the connection they shared was deep. Little did most fans know, however, at the time of Vanity’s passing, Prince was also deeply heartbroken over the death of his very first high school love, who died just months before Vanity. It was the combination of those two heartaches, that some say led Prince into a deep state of sorrow and grief.

How Prince’s High School Girlfriend Died

Prince’s ex-girlfriend was Kim Upsher. The two former lovebirds attended high school together in Minneapolis, MN. She also had a small role in Purple Rain back in the day.

Although many fans knew how hard Prince had taken Vanity’s passing – he spoke publicly about it – according to Purple Rain actress, Jill Jones, his major heartbreak was due to Kim’s death. In a prior interview with Huffington Post, Jill (also an ex-girlfriend of Prince) revealed the facts about Prince’s largely unknown ex, Kim Upsher, and how he was affected by her passing:

Jill Jones on Kim Upsher- “She was the kindest, patient, and supportive person for him. Watching the changes that come into your life, I had a lot of empathy for her because she helped me navigate through all that bull—— at the beginning. She passed away before Denise so he had a double whammy. So I know everybody is like, ‘Oh, Denise’ but his girlfriend who has been with him, lived in the same house as him, grew up with him, that was his big crush from school…Kim was an unsung hero in my opinion. They stayed friends throughout. She knew his family, everything and it was sad. She passed away from a brain aneurysm and that sadden my heart.”

Fun Facts About Prince & His Ex, Kim Upsher

1. Kim Upsher had a cameo role in Purple Rain, as the waitress who Morris Day pretended to give a huge tip to, in efforts to impress Apollonia…

2. Friends say Kim Upsher was Prince’s first heartbreak:

Via Diffuser- Around the time of the album’s release, Right On! magazine (as quoted by PrinceSongs.org) asked the rising young sex symbol if he had a girlfriend. “I had one but she left me,” he revealed. “I wrote some songs about it on the album.” When the interviewer marveled at the number of women who would love to take her place, he explained a little more: “That’s why she left me.”

“I’m so alone / And brokenhearted / It ain’t like my life is ended / But more like it never started,” he laments on the silky smooth disco-era piano ballad. “I spend my nights just a-crying / And i spend my days just a-trying / To find that love to call my own.”

3. Kim and Prince attended Minneapolis Central High School together, which is also where they wrote, directed, and starred in a love story that mimicked their real life story.

4. Although Kim had broken up with Prince decades go, they remained friends throughout their lives.

Ms. Upsher passed away from a brain aneurysm on November 15, 2015. Exactly three months later, Vanity died from renal failure on February 15, 2016.

Sadly, the Purple One soon died just months after exes, Vanity and Kim Upsher. Some have alleged that although Prince died from an accidental overdose to prescription pain meds, he ultimately passed away from grief. May each of these kind souls continue to rest peacefully.

Ever since Prince’s passing in 2016, several of acts of his kindness toward many people he privately helped — including Trayvon Martin’s family— have been revealed. But this time it’s Dave Chappelle, Prince’s good friend, who’s sharing what Prince did for his sister, Felicia. Dave was just a kid when Prince’s kind act damn near brought him to tears.

Chappelle Details How Prince’s Act Of Kindness Affected His Sister:

In a prior interview with Gayle King, Dave recalled how Prince gave his sister something he, himself, still cherishes to this day. It was something that made his sis’ feel really special and also really visible as a young lady who, at that time, apparently felt as if she was unfortunately invisible among her peers because of her weight:

“My sister went to see Prince. I was probably 11 years old. And she was the first one who ever brought a Prince record into our home,” Chappelle told Gayle King. “So, I wake up in the morning, and the first thing I do is knock on the door and ask her how the show was… She was asleep, with her fist balled up. And when she woke up, she opened her hand, and his guitar pick was in her hand. The guitar pick said ‘Love God.’

“And she had been in the front row and said, ‘I love you, I love you!’ And he very pointedly was like, ‘I love you, too.’ And my sister was a bigger girl, she was chubby. And this meant the world to her, that he would pay that kind of attention. And I think about that when I engage people. That these moments are just moments, but they mean so much.”

Wow, even in death, Prince is still giving. Through stories like these, he’s continuing to spread the message that we all can put to use- even the smallest act of kindness can be the greatest gratification to the person on the receiving end.

How Prince Got Payback At Dave For “Chappelle Show” Skit

Now, of course we can’t talk about Dave Chappelle and Prince, without talking about that classic 2003 Chapelle Show skit. Remember when the late Charlie Murphy told the true story about the time he – along with his brother, Eddie Murphy; and their crew – played a game of basketball against Prince and his crew? Well, Prince got payback.

Chappelle and Prince actually became good friends afterwards, but Prince got him back ten years later. In 2013 Prince released his single, “Breakfast Can Wait,” on Youtube and had everybody crackin’ up when he displayed the song’s artwork. It featured a pic of Dave Chappelle dressed up as Prince from the Chappelle Show skit.

Dave talked about Prince’s payback on The Jimmy Fallon Show that same year (he discusses this at the 3:07 mark in the video below):

Chappelle to Fallon: “That’s a Prince judo move right there. … You make fun of Prince in a sketch and he’ll just use you in his album cover,” the comedian quipped. “What am I going to do — sue him for using a picture of me dressed up like him? … That’s checkmate right there.”

Gotta love Prince! Not only was he one of the dopest entertainers of all time, but the brotha also had an incredible big heart and great sense of humor to match. Continue to rest easy Prince.