As the world mourns the death of legendary singer Prince, Frank Ocean expressed his condolences in a letter dedicated to the iconic singer.
In 2012, Frank Ocean wrote a letter on Tumblr in which he revealed his sexuality to the world, and in his heartfelt letter to Prince, Frank mentioned that Prince’s fearlessness gave him the courage to accept his sexual identity. Frank also mentioned Prince’s 1980 song “When You Were Mine,” which he credits as inspiration for him as a singer/songwriter.
Frank Ocean writes:
“i’m not even gonna say rest in peace because it’s bigger than death. i never met the man (i was too nervous the one time i saw him) and i never saw him play live, regrettably. i only know the legends I’ve heard from folks and what i’ve heard and seen from his deep catalog of propellant, fearless, virtuosic work. my assessment is that he learned early on how little value to assign to someone else’s opinion of you.. an infectious sentiment that seemed soaked into his clothes, his hair, his walk, his guitar and his primal scream. he wrote my favorite song of all time, ‘when you were mine’. it’s a simple song with a simple melody that makes you wish you thought of it first, even though you never would have – a flirtatious brand of genius that feels approachable. he was a straight black man who played his first televised set in bikini bottoms and knee high heeled boots, epic. he made me feel more comfortable with how i identify sexually simply by his display of freedom from and irreverence for obviously archaic ideas like gender conformity etc. he moved me to be more daring and intuitive with my own work by his demonstration – his denial of the prevailing model…his fight for his intellectual property – ‘slave’ written across the forehead, name changed to a symbol… an all out rebellion against exploitation. A vanguard and genius by every metric I know of who affected many in a way that will outrun oblivion for a long while. I’m proud to be a Prince fan(stan) for life.“
Hopefully, Prince will inspire Frank Ocean to finish up his long-delayed sophomore album.
SOURCE: Tumblr | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
Prince Through The Years
Prince Through The Years
1. Prince speaks onstage during The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
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2. Prince at the Grammy Awards.
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3. Prince speaks onstage during The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center.
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4. Prince performs at Shoreline Amphitheatre on October 10, 1997 in Mountain View, California.
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5. Musician Prince speaks onstage during the 2015 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
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6. Prince plays guitar on stage during a concert, 1985.
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7. US singer Prince attends the French Tennis Open round of sixteen match between Spain's Rafael Nadal and Serbia's Dusan Lajovic at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris on June 2, 2014.
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8. Prince performs on stage, London, 1993.
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9. Prince performs on stage on the Hit N Run-Parade Tour, Wembley Arena, London, August 1986.
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10. American singer and songwriter Prince stands on stage with his arms outstretched, wearing high-waisted white pants, circa 1990.
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11. American singer-songwriter Prince performing on stage, 1986.
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12. Recording artist Prince leaving the 2007 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Mortons on February 25, 2007 in West Hollywood.
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13. Musician Prince accepts the Male R&B Award (L) from actress Mo'Nique and singer Rihanna onstage at the 2006 BET Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2006.
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14. Prince performing at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif. on October 10th, 1997.
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15. Musician Prince holds up singer Patti LaBelle's shoe during her performance at the 2010 BET Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2010.
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16. Musician Prince performs during the Super Bowl XLI Half-Time Press Conference at the Miami Convention Center on February 1, 2007 in Miami, Florida.
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17. Prince performing in NYC at the Bottom Line on February 15, 1980.
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18. RITZ CLUB Photo of Prince.
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19. Prince stands up to collect the award for Best International Artist at the British Record Industry Awards.
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20. Singers Sheila E (left) and Prince arriving for a tour of Britain, July 25th 1988.
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21. Kim Basinger with singer Prince, circa 1988.
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22. Prince at the MTV/VH1 Party, Round House, London.
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23. Goodbye Prince. Rest in Peace.
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Continue reading Prince Through The Years
Prince Through The Years
Read Frank Ocean’s Heartfelt Letter To Prince was originally published on globalgrind.com
