Sheena Easton: ‘It’s impossible to imagine Prince not here’

Prince’s longtime friend and collaborator Sheena Easton was left stunned following the news of his death on Thursday, confessing it was “impossible to imagine”.
The Purple Rain star, 57, was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota on Thursday morning (21Apr16). Although paramedics attempted to revive him with CPR, he was pronounced dead at 10.07am local time, according Carver County law enforcement officials.
As the news of his passing spread, tributes from friends and fans alike have come pouring in, including one from Scottish singer Easton, who worked with the star on the hits The Arms of Orion and U Got the Look.
She took to Twitter.com and posted a photo of her late friend, writing, “No Words RIP My Dear Prince.”
Easton continued to pay tribute to him in a statement, which reads: “It is impossible to imagine him not being here. The world of music was forever changed the day he picked up his guitar. His talent was breathtaking, his heart was kind, and all of us have been blessed to have had a glimpse into this sweet and magical soul.”
Morris Day, the leader of funk group The Time, who co-starred with Prince in hit movie musical Purple Rain, also offered his thoughts about his friend’s death on Twitter, adding, “Right now there are no words that can express the feelings we all have for our dear brother Prince… Thank you!”
And he revealed the date of the R&B icon’s death is significant: “He loved the number ‘7’ today is the 21st… 777!!!”
Day then wrote: “Prince introduced me 2 u!!!”
He also posted a handful of photos of himself with the late star on his Facebook page.
Meanwhile, rocker Lenny Kravitz, who counted Prince as an idol, collaborator and friend, shared his condolences on Instagram, writing, “My musical brother… My friend… The one who showed me the possibilities within myself, changed everything, and kept his integrity until the end, is gone. I am heartbroken,” while Madonna also took to social media to share a photo of herself alongside Prince, adding, “He Changed The World!! A True Visionary. What a loss. I’m Devastated. This is Not A Love Song.”
Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks shared her heartbreak on Twitter, writing, “My friend is gone… This is what it sounds like, when doves cry. He was my dove…,” while Mariah Carey also tweeted, “Genius, legend, inspiration, friend. The world will miss you. I’ll never get over it.”
Prince’s former bandmate and lover Sheila E also took to Twitter to share her thoughts with fans, writing: “My heart is broken. There are no words. I love you!” And another ex, Twin Peaks star Sherilyn Fenn, who added: ” Crying, blown away… SOOO sad… The little prince is sleeping… as the pillow I bought him and hung it outside his suites…”
Rocker Bob Seger also remembered his friend in a statement.
The odd couple entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame together in 2004, and Seger recalled seeing Prince live for the first time.
“It was in ’81 (and) I got a call from two of my crew guys and my light guy,” Bob recalled. “They called me up and said, ‘Bob, you got to come see this guy’… They said, ‘You gotta come see him. You’ll love him ’cause we know how much you love James Brown’.
“Controversy was out. It was kind of a risque album, wasn’t getting any airplay. So I went down and the place was jammed, sold out – and no airplay. This was all word of mouth, and he was sensational. He was outstanding. The band was phenomenal. Of course I loved the music, the funk, the grooves. They were out of control. I was completely stunned. It was just a great, great show. I left saying, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna call everybody I know (and tell them) you got to see this guy!'”
Seger finally met Prince when they were inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: “I was just sitting there with Springsteen and Jackson (Browne) when he showed up, and he was real gracious and open and talkative – unlike Prince.
“I met him down through the years many times. I’d see him in clubs a lot in L.A. and got to know him a little bit, as well as you could know him. He’s just a very quiet guy. It’s like pulling teeth to get anything out of him. He doesn’t like to talk. I did most of the talking.”
Mourning the star’s death on Thursday, Seger added, “It’s a damn shame, it really is. I know he had greatness still ahead of him. I’m just glad he was around. He was a gift to music.”