Music is such a defining part of life. It embodies our thoughts and emotions, and seals memories for us.

The news broke today that Prince died … and all of us are in shock. Not because he was so young (57 years old) but because it was so sudden. And in the hours after his death was confirmed, there are no immediate answers.

MTV introduced me to Prince, dancing around in his purple outfits, pushing the boundaries of sexual freedom, and crossing the lines of culture – you heard his music on the Top 40 stations, the R&B stations, the urban stations, the adult contemporary stations … yet in his own way, he was his own form of rebel. You couldn’t put Prince in a box and call it anything.

We watched Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac on MTV … all musicians and artists who…