fame

With North Korea playing around with missiles, a probable Donald Trump-Hillary Clinton fight for the Presidential election, and a Canadian man being beheaded by Abu Sayyaf gunmen, there’s a lot going on lately. 

As Christian believers, we know that today’s news headlines are prophecy being fulfilled before Jesus’ second coming. Time is very short.

Why then do I tend to obsess about the 80’s music legend Prince’s sudden death at the age of 57 this week?

I’ve always had a morbid fascination with celebrities, movie stars, musicians, and other wealthy/famous people living drama-filled, unhappy lives or dying young or suddenly.

I’ve never understood why, despite their millions of money and fame, many seem so unhappy, have broken relationships, become alcoholics and addicted to drugs, or come to a tragic end through suicide or dying young or suddenly. 

Like many people, some of the lives and deaths of famous people I’ve obsessed about were:

• Elvis
• Marilyn Monroe
• Michael Jackson
• Whitney Houston
• Princess Diana
• Amy Winehouse
• and many more. 

Controversy surrounds these celebrities’ deaths. Rumors abound of suicide, drug overdoses, murder, and the Illuminati.

I’m an extremely analytic person, and unanswered questions like the cause of Prince’s death and if he was truly a Christian believer or now in hell really bother me, to the point where I read online news and watch YouTube videos for days or weeks afterward, talking to my family and friends about it until they wish I’d just shut up!

I’m just trying to understand why they wind up so unhappy, committing suicide or dying so tragically when they were pursuing their big dreams and seemed to have the “good life” that so many Americans dream of. Could it be that good life is merely an illusion, a mirage?

Personally, I don’t believe many people can handle great wealth and fame. The very thing they desire winds up destroying them in the end. They don’t have the integrity and the character to sustain it.

Prince also was found dead in an elevator. He hated elevators and called them the devil. Is this just a coincidence? Or was he murdered as rumors have it, or possibly overprescribed drugs? Suicide and trauma have been ruled out as a cause of death. It’s certainly eerie and I think a little suspicious he died in an elevator–or perhaps he was sensing something prophetically. Odd that he called them “the devil.”

He was not known for abusing alcohol, although there are questions that his death may have been caused from use of the potent painkiller Percocet (he had severe hip pain from jumping on stage in high heels). Hopefully the news will release the toxicology report soon.

What happened to Prince? What were his spiritual beliefs?

I’m so very tired of celebrities dying so young and suddenly. I wish they’d find out what happened to him.

I read articles about his “spiritual transformation” with interest. After a two year friendship/discussions with fellow musician Larry Graham, Prince changed. From news online, I’ve learned that Prince grew up Seventh Day Adventist and later converted to a Jehovah’s Witness. 

Don’t die without knowing the Cross

He also sang the song, The Cross, about Jesus. 

The lyrics are: 

I’m not a Jehovah’s Witness and believe it is a cult. So I don’t know if Prince was saved or not, but it’s not my place to judge. I’ll leave that up to God, and others should, too. I pray he made it to heaven. I don’t want anyone going to hell. It’s a horrible place. I am encouraged he sang about the Cross, about Jesus. 

Prince’s Gift is from God

What I do know about him is that he was a musical genius, playing 27 instruments, with a wide vocal range. 27 instruments, wow!

As I’ve watched his videos on YouTube since his passing, I’ve been amazed at his range, going from the deepest baritone to the highest . No matter what his songs lyrics were or how sensually he performed them, he truly had a gift from God. 

Prince wrote and produced many of his songs, selling over 100 million records worldwide, winning 7  Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain. He’s listed at number 27 on the list of the top 100 greatest artists of all time by Rolling Stone. He also penned other songs that made other singers famous. (Resource: Wikipedia)

This is what struck me about him: Prince credited his musical gift and inspiration to God in his interview with Larry King. There’s no denying it, Prince was extremely musically gifted and had a powerful singing voice.

I believe even his name was prophetic of his life. When you look at pictures of him, you sense a princely air about him.

Purple was Prince’s signature color and he had a custom-designed purple guitar. Purple is associated with royalty and authority in the Bible. His explanation for purple was associated with his interest in the mid-80’s about the apocalypse:

“When there’s blood in the sky – red and blue = purple.. purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god”guide you through the purple rain”

Purple Rain

In my teens, I confess that I was a fan of Prince’s. By far my favorite is Purple Rain. I still love it.

He performed it in a downpour during the Superbowl Halftime, the rain coming down almost as if on cue. (The song starts at about the 8:12 minute mark.) 

I love these lyrics to it:

“I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain.”

The other song that he’s famous for that I liked was 1999. (Disclaimer: it has some inappropriate words and scenes, but Prince was known for being risque.)

To me, the song speaks about being positive about the future and not being afraid, since he recorded it before the 2000 Y2K scare.

I laughed when I read this in the article about one woman’s big concern about Y2K:

“By midafternoon, Juanita Serrano had grabbed one of the last large containers of water left in the store. She said it was an essential part of her Y2K survival kit, along with a 10-pound container of coffee and milk. “I have to have my coffee,” she said. “I cannot go on without my coffee, no matter what is going on around me.”

Yes, I relate about the coffee! Anyway, I digress…back to Prince. 

I believe he was a musical legend, and an amazing singer and artist. He accomplished great things while on earth.

Prince died while still young, only age 57. The world is reeling with shock that he’s dead. So young. So unexpected.

Really, we shouldn’t be shocked. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 that we’re all destined to die once and after that is the Judgment from God. Am I ready? Are you?

I don’t know why so many stars, celebrities, musicians, wealthy and famous people seem to have such unhappy, troubled lives. We’re all seeking.

As I shared before, I believe there are very few people who can handle great wealth and fame, due to a lack of character. Ultimately, only God can satisfy that black hole deep inside all of us. It is a God-void.

I don’t know why so many die so young or and/or so suddenly. All of us will face death and God one day, and we need to be prepared because we don’t know when that moment is. Tomorrow is not promised.

The way to find joy, peace, and the abundant life is through Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? Don’t die without the Cross. 

Prince, I pray you are resting in peace.