Think of all the instruments that make up a band. One of the greatest players of each of those instruments died today. And he was one guy. Prince Rogers Nelson died at the age of 57, a few days after being hospitalized for what was described as a bad case of the flu. In the minds of his fans, there are many different versions of Prince, because he was so talented in so many ways. The music passed through him. He was a hit machine. And he was one of the most ridiculously talented guitarists ever to pick up an axe; a fact even those who weren’t direct fans of his music were reminded of regularly. For starters, there’s this amazing all-star performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: As My Guitar Gently Weeps. Today, it wails.

+ Purple Rain in the pouring rain during his Super Bowl halftime show.

+ A few weeks ago I played this recently re-released video of Prince doing a cover of Creep at Coachella in 2008 for my son. So incredible. And such a perfect song for today. Like Bowie, Prince provided us with a constant reminder that it’s not just ok to be weird; it’s cool to be weird.