Born Prince Rogers Nelson and known for a spell as the unpronounceable “Love Symbol,” Prince wrote music that was as dynamic, prolific and continually inventive and, for real though, as fun as the discography of David Bowie, another music and fashion icon whose sudden death this year prompted an immediate, anguished outpouring of grief.

Just last month, Prince performed “Heroes” in Toronto and set the Internet on fire. Search posts for video of it now and you’ll see “Content unavailable.” That’s as good a sign as any of how protective Prince was of his copyrights - and how much of a musician’s musician he was. Yet there was a ton of Prince content available Thursday as fans and fellow performers grieved and shared memories, music and disbelief.

Prince found fame in 1982 with “1999” and went on to sell more than 100 million records. He won seven Grammys and an Academy Award for best original song score. He was inducted into and performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 (with a ferocious guitar solo and a fashionable red fedora) and performed at the Super Bowl in 2007 (in an absolute downpour). But people Thursday measured his life less in his moments than theirs.

We who grew up with Prince can’t separate his music from our lives.

“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda used the word, “gutted.” “Today is the worst day ever,” wrote Boy George. “Numb,” wrote Justin Timberlake. “Stunned.” “I LOVED him,” wrote Chaka Khan. “The world LOVED him.”

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Dearly beloved

We are gathered here today

2 get through this thing called life

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Prince helped us get through this thing, his music helps still. As playwright Lynn Nottage wrote, Prince helped multiple generations ease “through adolescence into adulthood.” That he won’t help us all ease from adulthood to our older years is hard to fathom. We all just want extra time.

— The San Diego Union-Tribune