Justice

Frank Ocean Paid Homage to Prince in a Heartfelt Letter

April 21st 2016

Singer Frank Ocean paid homage to Prince, the iconic musician who passed away on Thursday, in a heartfelt letter posted on Tumblr. Ocean, who came out in a 2012 Tumblr post, credited Prince with helping him come to terms with his sexual identity.

princeAP/Matt Sayles - apimages.com

"I'm not even gonna say rest in peace because it's bigger than death," Ocean wrote. "My assessment is that he learned early on how little value to assign to someone else's opinion of you…an infectious sentiment that seemed soaked into his clothes, his hair, his walk, his guitar and his primal scream."

Ocean — who said he regretted having missed the opportunity to meet the legend —described how Prince influenced music culture and defied social conventions, sporting androgynous outfits, which inspired him as an artist and individual.

"He was a straight black man who played his first televised set in bikini bottoms and knee high heeled boots, epic," Ocean wrote. "He made me feel more comfortable with how I identify sexually simply by his display of freedom from and irreverence for obviously archaic ideas like gender conformity etc."

"He moved me to be more daring and intuitive with my own work by his demonstration — his denial of the prevailing model … His fight for his intellectual property — 'SLAVE' written across the forehead, name changed to a symbol…An all out rebellion against exploitation."

Celebrities and world leaders have come together to celebrate Prince's life and legacy since news of his passing broke on Thursday morning. Even President Obama paid tribute to Prince in a Facebook post, writing that "[n]obody's spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative."

RELATED: President Obama: 'Prince Did It All'

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