President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Paul Westerberg, FKA twigs, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, A$AP Ferg Honor Prince

President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Paul Westerberg, FKA twigs, Spoon's Britt Daniel, A$AP Ferg Honor Prince

Yesterday, news broke that Prince passed away. Artists and musicians offered up their tributes to the Purple One via social media all day, and the remembrances continue to pour in. Today, President Barack Obama, who eulogized the musician in a lengthy Facebook post yesterday, commented on his death once more at a press conference. “This morning we played ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Delirious’ just to get warmed up before we left the house for important bilateral meetings,” he revealed. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also chimed in, referring to Prince as an “American original,” “a one man band,” and a “great showman” in an interview with iHeartRadio. Find their remarks below, along with reactions from Stevie Wonder, the Replacements’ Paul Westerberg, FKA twigs, Spoon’s Britt Daniel, A$AP Ferg, Deerhoof, NASA (who paid their respects with an image of a purple nebula), and more.

“This morning we played Purple Rain and Delirious” —@POTUS comments on the passing of @Prince https://t.co/N8ic41JXkE

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 22, 2016

Hillary Clinton:

I came out of an event in Harford, Connecticut, and people told me and I was so stunned. You think of him as being almost eternal… He was a bigger than life personality. He was not only a songwriter and a singer but literally a one man band, such a great showman. I was just so sad and I just want everybody to spend some time reflecting on this American original. He was so extraordinary.

I got Sign o The Times the day it came out, two weeks before my 16th birthday. It was the first tape I played in my first car that I got right before that first summer of freedom, and that summer it was always on. For some reason I keep thinking back to that summer today, driving to work, drinking in fields w my homies, mowing lawns, dealing with heartache, all the times I had just that one momentous summer with just that one album. One Prince album among so many that were so inspired and so inspirational. I keep thinking: how could it happen, isn’t this way too soon? No more Prince shows? No more Prince shenanigans? And I hate it. What I’m gonna try and think instead about is this: what it felt like watching Prince play. It was like watching God’s love. He was the greatest performer of his generation, almost unbelievable on stage. He knew it, everyone watching knew it. You could so clearly read the joy he felt performing, so much that it was hard not to feel it yourself. Everything was in synch for a couple hours. It felt like an almost tangible thing you could take home with you. You certainly left with a feeling. It’s easy to focus on how it feels too soon or too big to understand, instead I’m gonna try and feel that feeling. I believe it’s love –BD

A photo posted by SPOON (@spoontheband) on Apr 21, 2016 at 8:56pm PDT

Watch @ASAPferg pay his respects to Prince: https://t.co/mG1SAQ2703

— MTV News (@MTVNews) April 22, 2016

Michael Jordan (via TMZ):

Like so many people I am shocked at the news that Prince has died. In a world of creative performers, Prince was a genius. His impact not just on music, but on culture, truly can’t be measured His songs inspired me throughout my career and remind me of so many moments from my life. His greatness will live on through his music, but this is a sad day for his fans—me included. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

A purple nebula, in honor of Prince, who passed away today. https://t.co/7buFWWExMw pic.twitter.com/ONQDwSQwVa

— NASA (@NASA) April 21, 2016

Paul Westerberg (via Rolling Stone):

I’ve spent more time with Bob Dylan, and I’ve got to say that I was more in awe of Prince. I can’t think of anyone better—an all-around composer, musician, guitarist, star, showman, the whole package, anyone better. If Elvis wrote all of his songs and played guitar, it still wouldn’t quite be there. He’d play Jimi Hendrix-style, between his legs and behind his back. And then he’d do the splits. He could put the guitar down, and Jimi would become James Brown. He could hold the crowd like Mick Jagger, but could Mick Jagger play the piano like that? And then, lyrically, there’s something like, “When Doves Cry.” There’s obviously more going on there than meets the booty.

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