Bobby Z saw the words "Prince is dead" scroll across his TV screen. Those words were unimaginable to Prince's former drummer and friend of 40 years.
Ray Roberts, Prince's personal chef, was in disbelief as he headed to Paisley Park on April 21. Then when he arrived at his place of employment for the past three years, he couldn't even get in. It was a crime scene.
Shelby J, who sang with Prince's NPG for 10 years, couldn't even talk about his passing for nine months. She still cries whenever she hears one of his songs.
Kathy Drews sat between Prince and Jimmy Harris (aka Jimmy Jam) in piano class in junior high school. For several years, she went to Paisley Park almost every weekend hoping that Prince would perform. Now she won't even go to Paisley; it's too hard for her.
For all four members of the Purple Family, life without Prince was unimaginable. But they've somehow managed to cope during the 365 days since he died of an accidental opioid overdose. They share their stories of the past year in their own words.
Ray Roberts, 35, owner of four Peoples Organic restaurants in the Twin Cities, was personal chef for Prince's last three years. He now runs the cafe at Paisley Park.
It was so hard because Paisley Park was like our second home. The people from Graceland brought Juel [his wife and business partner] and I back in to do the food. We weren't there at all for four or five months. I didn't know what to do with myself. I got a lot more sleep. It was nice to be back with my kids and family more often. My kids — a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old — would come out and hang at Paisley Park. The older one, every time we see a picture, he yells: "Prince!" For the longest time, he thought Prince was my father instead of my boss.
We kind of felt like we were lost. Life was going one way and without him, it was back on a different path. It was hard and sad. I miss him a lot. I miss the spontaneousness of life on a given day.