The Face of Pure Joy: Sharing a Rare Picture of Prince!

Anne Childress
Jan 21
3 min read

He wrote more songs than Cash. He made a guitar weep (and have orgasms). He loved his Minneapolis. Oh, yes, who else? It's time for a PRINCE BLOG!

Where were you when you heard the news that Prince had died? On April 21, 2016, the world stopped for so many of us.

I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I had been out of town that day and was driving home to Griffin, Georgia, on I-75. I was hitting Forsyth when the report came over the airwaves.

I felt gutted. The shock hit me like a physical blow! I had so many emotions surging at once that I began to cry. I had to get off at the nearest exit, somehow navigating my way into the Walmart parking lot in Forsyth. I parked the car and just let the tears fall. The radio station began playing "When Doves Cry." It’s one of my favorites he ever recorded, though he had so many masterpieces it’s nearly impossible to list them all.

As I sat there in that parking lot, five things weighed on my heart:

The Loss of Genius: An utter sadness that a creative giant—arguably the best of a generation—was gone. I always believed he was a fine human being, a soul the world desperately needed.

The Fatherhood Loss: I thought of how he was now with his little boy. Prince's baby didn't live long, and I think he would have been a fantastic father.

The Regret: I had turned down a ticket to his final concert in Atlanta because money was tight. We were homeschooling, building a business, and my mother's dementia was worsening. Life felt heavy and bleak at that time, and money was so tight. I found this tonight. Thank you to the person who posted it: it was some of the Atlanta concert. Prince Final Concert (audio) | Atlanta, April 2016 @duane Prince DMSR

He played piano for a good bit of the last concert.

The "Why": He was so damn young. I remember thinking, Wait. Could something have happened? He took on the industry over and over again. I still believe something or someone could have taken his life, but that would become a conspiracy theory (and I'm one of those kinds of people....). I may be incorrect, but you think how Michael Jackson, George Michael and Prince took on the recording industry - makes you think!

The Search for Joy: I thought of a specific image. I knew I had to find it, print it, and laminate it. I needed to see his joy.

The Picture That Tells the Story

You might be wondering, "What picture?"

This one.

A year before his passing, a friend sent me a photo she’d found. I have it framed in my home office now. Tonight, as I looked at it, I smiled and went online to share it. I don't think many people have seen it.

Look at his face. This is Prince at the very beginning—youthful, happy, and starting. He looks absolutely delighted that someone liked his music. If I had to summarize his expression in one word, it would be joy.

Look at the way his eyes light up. There is no armor here, no "side eye" (though I loved that about him, too!), and no world-weariness. There is only the shimmering light of a young man standing on the precipice of his dreams. You can see the hope radiating from him, with a belief that anything is possible.

I own a mint-condition copy of the book that was intended to be Prince's autobiography. It was in the earliest stages of development when he died, filled with unique notes and art. It shows a man ready to share his story.

One detail from his life that always struck me: at seventeen, he lived in someone’s basement while finishing high school, determined to graduate while simultaneously building his musical empire. How many seventeen-year-olds have that kind of grit? He wasn't just talented; he was a worker. He was a dreamer who refused to wake up. He made his dreams happen!

Find Your Joy

Please treasure this picture. The next time you face a challenge or feel overwhelmed and lost in a world that can often feel bleak, look at this young man. Look at those eyes.

He knew sheer joy before he became the voice of a generation. He proves that the light we carry at the start is something we must protect.