On April 26, 2016 the famed musician and performer known as Prince was found dead in Chanhassen, Minnesota. At only 57 years old many were shocked by his seemingly untimely passing. While an exact cause of death is unknown speculation regarding drug dependency, which many close to Prince have since denied, has circulated. An investigation is ongoing.

As an artist whose career spanned decades, whose music experimented with a variety of different genres, whose acting work won impressive accolades, who possessed an impressively large body of work, and who expertly manipulated the boundaries of what many thought possible and acceptable, Prince amassed a large number of fans. Those of all ages, sexes, and ethnicities mourned his death.

Nearly the entire country seems to mourn for Prince as cities across the country led vigils and celebrities, fans, and those who knew him personally, reacted publically. The United States’ Senate even responded commending his accomplishments as “a musician, composer, innovator, and cultural icon.”

Olivia Reavey, a senior at Hingham High, is included among the many who will miss the ground-breaking performer. She commented on the suddenness and difficulty of his death saying, “This year has been really hard, we’ve lost a lot a legends.” Olivia references the earlier death of iconic performer David Bowie, similarly to Prince in his musical prowess and willingness to push boundaries.

Having sold over 100 million records internationally, Prince is considered one of the best-selling artists of all time. He also won a Golden Globe Award, seven Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility, and was awarded an Academy Award for his film Purple Rain, helping to easily identify him as one of the most influential artists of the century.

Prince’s last album HITnRUN Phase Two, a follow up to his previous album HITnRUN Phase One, was released through a streaming service in mid-December, only several months before his passing. A tour accompanying this album known as the Piano & A Microphone Tour began in mid-February and was scheduled to run throughout the first half of the year.

Mr. Doherty, an art teacher at Hingham High counts himself among Prince’s many fans. In a brief statement Mr. Doherty summed up Prince’s universal significance and how the icon’s death is truly a devastating loss for himself and legions of others, saying, “Prince was the one pop music artist that was a constant in my life from high school until today. He transcended the ideas of race, birthplace, and genre. When people thought about him they always just thought: Prince.”