Mayte Garcia honored Prince in a powerful, multi-layered tribute a decade after his passing – sharing a moving message on social media, hosting the Glam Slam Benefit to give back, and marking the moment Los Angeles officially declares “Prince Day” to celebrate his enduring legacy.
The artist, author, philanthropist and former wife and collaborator of Prince will headline the Live 4 Love Charities Glam Slam Benefit at W Hollywood tonight. The sold-out event will honor the beloved singer while helping him continue his longtime mission of helping others a decade after his passing.
Garcia took to Instagram early Tuesday morning to share a message to her late husband’s fans with a moving tribute to the life that touched many through music.
“Sometimes it seems impossible to say that number out loud. And yet here we are, millions of people around the world, still connected by the same vibration, the same spirit, the same love that flowed through him every time he touched a stage, a studio or a soul,” she began her heartfelt tribute on Instagram. “I’ve said before, ‘Enter quietly into the realm of genius,’ because that’s what it feels like to be near him. A realm. A frequency. A force. His music wasn’t just sound, it was spirit.”
She went on to explain that even today, so many years later, her music “still speaks,” “still teaches,” and “still reaches us.”
“This year, more than any other, I’m thinking of you, the fans who grew up with him, learned from him, healed with him, and found pieces of yourselves through his words,” she continued. “Only a handful of us will be at the Glam Slam Benefit, but it never belonged to just one room. It belonged to all of us. Everywhere.”
“He never wanted us to be sad”
Garcia’s touching words continued to remind fans that Prince wouldn’t want anyone to “be sad.”
“He never wanted us to be sad. He believed in transformation, in coming home, in the idea that love is the only thing that lasts,” she continued. “He once wrote: ‘My bed is made at night because in my dreams I walk. » I always thought that phrase wasn’t just about him finding his way home, but rather about how he still finds us. In dreams, in memories, in those moments when his music fills a room and it feels like he’s there again.
Garcia also shared a wish for today, the 10th anniversary of Prince’s passing.
“So, in this tenth year, turn his music up to the maximum. Sing with all your heart. Be grateful to have lived while he was alive, to have witnessed him,” she wrote. “It’s something rare, something sacred, something we all share.”
She asked fans to tag Live 4 Love Charities on social media if they share their fond memories and stories of Prince so “we can see the moments and songs that still connect us all to him.”
His last message is one of strength and love.
“When we share it, it lives again,” she wrote. “And I keep thinking about the message he left us in Live 4 Love, that fierce reminder that even in chaos, even in pain, even when the world tries to toughen you, the mission is the same: to live for love. Without love, we do not live. With love, we rise. This is how we carry him forward. This is how we honor him. This is how we keep his light shining throughout the world.”
Fans shared stories and feelings in the comments of Mayte Garcia’s post
It didn’t take long for fans to share their fond memories and words of love in the comments section of Garcia’s post.
“I was at Paisley Park on 4/17. I felt his presence in every room. It was quite an emotional experience,” one viewer wrote.
“He was the only artist who, when I attended his concerts, would inexplicably make me burst into tears. The groove was his, a funk so hard that no one would EVER duplicate it. He would go deep inside me and bring out emotions that needed to be released. You summed it up and made me realize that it was an expression of his vibration, and it was a gift he gave us all to live our own personal experience,” another fan shared.
Many others shared similar experiences and thoughts.
“Prince is and was pure magic. I love him forever and am so grateful to have had him in this life. We are lucky,” one person shared. Another added: “My life wouldn’t be the same without him. He made my life colorful and full of love. How lucky I am to get to know him and his music. I miss you Prince.”
Tonight’s Glam Slam benefit honoring the prince’s legacy is sold out
Tonight, the Glam Slam Benefit will celebrate Prince’s enduring cultural and humanitarian legacy while raising money for the charity Prince started with Garcia in 1996. The event, hosted by Garcia and George Lopez, will feature live performances, special guests and more.
Ahead of the event, Garcia spoke with The Blast to learn more about the tribute and Live 4 Love Charities, founded in honor of Garcia and Prince’s son, Amiir.
“We started this foundation in 1996, and it was privately funded because it was his money and he would go on tour and then he would say, ‘let’s donate.’ And he gave a lot of money to people that no one knows about,” Garcia exclusively told The Blast. “He left me [the foundation] when it died and we just turned it back on.
The City of Los Angeles will proclaim April 21 “Prince’s Day”
The entire day today, April 21, will be dedicated to honoring the beloved artist. Ahead of tonight’s charity event, the city of Los Angeles will proclaim April 21 as “Prince’s Day” and many city landmarks, such as the Hollywood Sign, will glow purple in his honor.
“I think it’s long overdue,” Garcia told The Blast. “His music was loved by everyone, so it’s nice, especially on the anniversary of his passing. It’s been a really difficult day for a lot of us.”
For more information about Live 4 Love Charities, visit the website.