#WhatsHappening for September 27, 2016

I didn't watch the debate last night, so I have special insight on what happened. 

I'll just say that having to choose from the lesser of two evils just demonstrates how supremely fucked up our current political system is.

Yes, I realize that Gary Johnson is a third party option. I'm also a realist. With the massive amount of money that has been spent by the Democrats and Republicans, Johnson's chance of winning the election are astronomical. So we're stuck.

I don't have an answer.

I wish I did.

I do know that this country will endure, no matter what happens on November 8th.

Producer/songwriter/performer Kashif, who was behind hits for Whitney Houston and Evelyn "Champagne" King, passed away at his home in Playa del Rey, California Sunday.

Kashif- born Michael Jones- initially began his musical career as a 15-year-old keyboardist/vocalist for the ‘70s disco/funk band B.T. Express. He also performed with Stephanie Mills, Nona Hendryx, Gloria Gaynor, Tavares, and the Four Tops, among others- along with eight top 20 R&B hits as a solo artist.

Kashif was also an author, educator, and social activist as well- establishing the foster care organization Team ICare.

Funeral service details are pending.

The New Edition Story will be hitting the small screen next year.

The BET miniseries that tells the story of Michael Bivins, Ricky Bell, Ronnie Devoe, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill through their rise, run of hits, and eventual disbanding. It will debut on January 24.

The cast includes Bryshere Y. Gray as Bivins, Luke James as Gill, Algee Smith as Tresvant, Elijah Kelley as Bell, Keith Powers as DeVoe, and Woody McClain as Brown. Bell, Bivins, DeVoe, Gill, Brown, and Tresvant are listed as producers on the film.

Kenny Rogers? Fuck if I know, he's had too much surgery.

Kenny Rogers says his music career will wrap up on April 8th next year- the date of his last show.

"I've done everything I set out to do," Rogers told Billboard. "Every goal I've set, I've done that, and there's a point where you have to say, 'I've had my turn. Let someone else have it,' and that's kind of where I am. It's not that I dislike music; it's just that I can't keep doing this and do what I want to do, which is spend time with my family."

Rogers added that his main goal for retiring is to spend time with the 12-year-old twin sons he has with fifth wife Wanda Miller. "I have two older boys and I didn't get to spend this time with my older boys, and I resent it because it's a very special time in a kid's age," he said. "My boys are playing football this year, and we went to watch a game and they were so excited about us being there, and that's the kind of thing that as a parent you want to be part of as much as you can."

Birthdays today include: Avril Lavigne; Lil Wayne; Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind; Greg Ham of Men At Work; Meatloaf; Randy Bachman of BTO and Guess Who. #MusicalBirthday

#WhatsHappening for September 25, 2016

Hi kids. Hope your weekend is going well. If you missed Saturday Night Karaoke, well- we'll be back next week for more face-melting fun. 

Next week is the weekend of the Norcross Arts Festival weekend, too- so keep in mind that you won't be able to get into the Tavern's parking lot- though there will be parking around downtown (and I think they have shuttles that run from the sites that are far off site).

I would rarely make a guarantee on the Falcons (other than them being shitty), but I am 100% confident that they will not lose to the Saints today.

Because the game is tomorrow night.

Artist manager Ted Fox tells the Associated Press that Buckwheat Zydeco leader Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural Jr., died Saturday morning after a battle with lung cancer. 

Dural and Zydeco helped introduce the zydeco genre to the world outside of Louisiana, eventually performing at the 1996 Olympics' closing ceremonies in Atlanta and President Bill Clinton's inauguration.

Dural was 68.

Miley Cyrus took to the stage to perform with "Billy fucking Idol" during his mini-set at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas Friday night. 

Cyrus and Idol performed his 1983 hit "Rebel Yell."

The festival also included performances from Drake, Sia, U2, Britney Spears, Sting, and Ariana Grande.

The Backstreet Boys are returning to Las Vegas for an 18 date residency at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Brian Littrel says the shows will be like the group's other performances, but "that on steroids.

The dates, spread between March, June, and July is a joint venture between Caesars and Live Nation- who promises a "one-of-a-kind, over-the-top" production.

Tickets go on sale October 1st, with pre-sales kicking off tomorrow.

Birthdays today include: T.I.; Richie Edwards of The Darkness; Will Smith; Steve Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees; Jerry Penrod of Iron Butterfly;  Onnie Mcintyre of Average White Band; and Gary Alexander of The Association. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 20, 2016

Hey kids. Happy Tuesday.

I see where the Andy Warhol biopic has found its star: Jared Leto. So, a pretentious, overrated, marginally talented douche playing... well... I guess just being himself.

Dear Marvel-

There's a reason I've never watched Ghost Rider. Well, besides Nicolas Cage, I mean. It's because I've never wanted to see it.

Why did you have to bring it into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which I really enjoy?

I feel like I need another shower just seeing this picture.

Evidently it's big news that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are getting a divorce.

Fucks given: 0.

Go get him, ladies. Or men. Whatever.

Same for her (hope you've had your shots).

Brad Paisley has added six more free university shows to his Country Nation College Tour.

The U.S. Air Force Academy, East Carolina, University of Connecticut, Nebraska, Kansas and UCLA are the added stops on the tour.

Brett Young, Chase Bryant and Lindsay Ell are alternating in the opening slot.

Waymore's Outlaws, the band featuring three of the late Waylon Jennings' backing musicians, says it will call it quits after a farewell tour next year. 

Drummer Richie Albright, bassist Jerry Bridges and guitarist Fred Newell also played on such Jennings titles "Good Ol' Boys (Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard)," "I Ain't Living Long Like This," "Rainy Day Woman" and "Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)" while singer Tommy Townsend recorded an album that Jennings co-produced.

W Hotels Worldwide has added Mike Posner to the lineup for their WAKE UP CALL: A W Hotels Music Festival. Other artists scheduled to perform include Bebe Rexha, Cee Lo Green, De La Soul, Jess Glynne, Kungs, Lost Frequencies, Matoma, Mayer Hawthorne, and Nico & Vinz.

The festival, making its debut this year, will kick off September 30th and run through October 2nd at the W Scottsdale. Next year's festival is already slated to be help at the W Las Vegas.

Tomorrow is National Twist Day.

What's that, you ask?

According to Chubby Checker's official Facebook page, Checker has joined with non-profit Mascots for a Cure to launch the Twist Challenge, similar to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

He hopes celebrities, media and others will join him to raise further awareness (via viral videos) to help fight childhood cancer, with people encouraged to twist and post their videos on social media.

"We're hoping to get everyone involved," Checker said in a statement. "We're looking for all people who want to help do something extraordinary."

Birthdays today include: Rick Woolstenhulme of Lifehouse; Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden; Matthew and Gunnar Nelson; Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme; Alannah Currie of Thompson Twins; Chuck Panozzo of STYX; and Michael Oldroyd of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 18, 2016

My plans for the rest of the day.

Hi ho kids. How's the weekend treating you so far? It's kind of gloomy out here at the karaoke compound. I think it's the universe's way of telling me to take it easy today and enjoy the fact that I had the entire weekend off. So that's what I'm going to do.

Anyone besides me find it to be pretty high on the irony meter that BET held their Hip-Hop Awards show at the Cobb Energy Center (or whatever the hell that thing is called), seeing as hell all the rednecks in Cobb have always seemed so hell bent on keeping darker skin tones out of their county?

And you thought the whole Klan thing up in Forsyth back in the 80s was embarrassing.

Anyway, congrats to the winners (of which the only name I recognize is Snoop- realizing, of course, that I'm not their target audience).

Born out of nothing other than "there's nothing on that I'd watch besides that 'Law & Order' that I've seen a bajillion times", I decided to give 'Hulk' another try.

It's still terrible. 

Speaking of terrible- all of the KFC commercials.

Dolly Parton and Pentatonix' collaboration on Parton's classic "Jolene" seems to be a big deal. Seeing as it's sponsored by Crapper Barrel, though, I just couldn't bring myself to watch it. 

Another video making the viral rounds is Corey Feldman's "Today" show appearance. I haven't watched that one, either. Mainly because A) I don't care and 2) I'm still amazed it was Corey Haim that OD'd and not Feldman. Also, I don't care. View at your own risk.

Maroon 5 has cancelled their show scheduled for tomorrow night at Hartford's XL Center, citing the upcoming birth Adam Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo's first baby.

The group's website says all tickets will be refunded and that no other shows on their current U.S. tour with be rescheduled.

The Pixies announced Friday that guitarist Joey Santiago had checked into a rehab facility to treat unspecified drug and alcohol issues.

The statement said Santiago will be in an unspecified facility for "at least" 30 days. 

"This is the best thing that Joey could have done, and we're very proud that he's taken this step," drummer David Lovering. "We ask all of our fans to support Joey while he's on this road to recovery."

The band's publicist said in the statement that the Pixies "fully intend" to tour the U.K. and Europe as planned in November and December, but that Santiago's rehab stint will affect some of the planned promotion in support of the group's upcoming album, Head Carrier.

A Fulton County Superior Court judge has found that Nick Gordon, boyfriend of the late Bobbi Kristina Brown, is responsible for Brown's demise in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by her estate.

Judge T. Jackson Bedford signed the order Friday, saying Gordon repeatedly failed to meet court deadlines in the case. The order says that means the conservator of her estate wins by default.

The judge also ordered that a jury trial be set to determine how much Gordon will be required to pay in damages.

Gordon has not been charged with a crime.

Sting has a new song that was inspired by the deaths of rock icons including David Bowie and Prince. The song, from his upcoming album '57th & 9th', was debuted during his appearance on this week's episode of Later With Jools Holland.

Sting told Rolling Stone the song is "a comment on how shocked we all are when one of our cultural icons dies: Prince, David, Glenn Frey, Lemmy. They are our gods, in a way. So when they die, we have to question our own immortality."

"Even I, as a rock star, have to question my own," he added. "And the sort of bittersweet realization that hubris doesn't mean anything in the end."

Birthdays today include: Ricky Bell of Bell Biv Devoe; Ian Spice of Breathe; Joanne Catherall of Human League; Kerry Livgren of Kansas; and Frankie Avalon. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 13, 2016

Hey kids. Hope all is well.

Let's get to it, shall we?

First off, I'd like to say thanks to everyone's kind words regarding my remarks on the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks Saturday night (if you read Sunday's post, you'll find an expanded version). I try to keep things light during our time together, but I also think there are some things that just need to be said.

Don't forget to join Mark for another face rocking edition of Saturday Night Karaoke, live and loud at the Iron Horse Tavern this week.

Not pictured: Tolerance.

Wayne Newton told Fox & Friends Monday morning that he thinks "every American has the right to do or say whatever freedom offers us. However, during a national anthem is not a time or a place to show that kind of thing," regarding the recent protests by professional athletes (particularly Colin Kaepernick). "I have no tolerance at all for it." 

Newton went on to say the people protesting could "get the hell out" of the country if they have a problem with it.

Look, I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I don't support Kaepernick's protest. I think the fact that he grew up in a white, middle class household (he was adopted), and was coddled because of his athletic "talent", he doesn't have a grasp on what it means to be an oppressed minority (not that I do, either). I also think there are better ways and times to protest. 

But, as long as Kaepernick is not committing a crime (and he's not), he is perfectly within his rights as a citizen to protest. And the fact that Newton wants to kick him out of the country proves that it is Newton who needs a lesson in the Bill of Rights. But, then again, his statements are exactly the sort of thing a Fox & Friends audience wants to hear.

The "can you hear me now?" guy is an even bigger doucheketeer in the Sprint commercials.

Organizers of the classic rock megafest Desert Trip, which sold out its initial run of tickets in just three hours last month, have announced that "a limited number" of reserved seats and general admission passes for each of the performance weekends (October 7-9 and 14-16)

will be put on sale Saturday at 4 pm ET via the festival's website.

Both Fridays of festival will the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Saturdays will feature Paul McCartney and Neil Young, and both weekends will wrap up with Roger Waters and the Who.

Yet another reason not to watch the Super Bowl? Lady GaGa at halftime.

No thanks.

Birthdays today include: Fiona Apple; Steve Perkins of Jane's Addiction; Dave Mustaine of Megadeth; Don Was; Randy Jones of Village People; Peter Cetera; David Clayton Thomas of Blood Sweat & Tears; and Dave Quincy of Manfred Mann's Earth Band. #MusicalBirthdays

Looking back.

I was sitting at my desk working and my cell phone rang. It was one of my friends from the the police department.

“Hey, did you hear about the plane hitting the World Trade Center?” she asked.

“No, what?”

“Yeah- just happened.”

“Wild. Keep me posted.”

Fifteen minutes or so later, the phone rang again.

“Oh my god, another one- and there are reports of other planes being hijacked.”

I began scanning the radio for the news channel. And the reports were all over the place. 

So was the horror.

Work kind of ground to a halt- we all kept stopping to hear the latest.

Once I got home, I spent the evening watching news reports, replays and press conferences.

The images of the burning buildings, the people fleeing in terror, the crumbled ruins of lives parading across the screen. I wanted to turn off the TV, but I couldn't. For some reason, I couldn't turn away from it.

The who’s, how’s, and why’s were discussed late into the night... They were discussed for weeks, months, and years after. They are still discussed today. But they are of little import to the victims and their families.

You didn’t have to have friends or family in New York or DC to feel the grief- you just had to be human.

That people were saved, that we came together, that our nation endured- those were the stories that we needed then, and need now. Because, despite the gut-wrenching horror that played out that day, we remained strong. We were united. Our prejudices and jealousies were cast aside. And everywhere you looked, American flags.

It was the Pearl Harbor moment of our generation. We swore to never forget. We swore to remain strong. We swore to remain united. We owed it to the 2,977 people who died that day.

Fifteen years on, we seem have gone back on those vows. We seem to be tottering on a precipice overlooking chaos- a chaos we refused to let that September morning bring.

Instead of being united, we're drifting apart and allowing political demagogues to drive the wedges further between us.

The police, who were praised then, are greeted with suspicion now.

Hatred is spewed for those who don't share one group's political views, sexual orientation, or skin color.

But we're not too far gone. We can't be. If we are, we're doomed.

And I don't accept that.

We are the United States of America.

Indivisible.

By the people, for the people. And we shall not perish from the earth. 

#WhatsHappening for August 8, 2016

Hi kids. Hope the short week is going smooth for you.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band treated Philly fans to longest U.S. show they've ever put on. 

Thirty four songs and 4 hours and 4 minutes after the band started, last night's show at Citizens Bank Park had passed the Boss' previous record of 4 hours set at MetLife Stadium

in New Jersey just two weeks ago.

Last night's show was the second-longest of the band's career, behind the 4:06 show in Helsinki, Finland in 2012, and focused mainly on selections from Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle for the first 10 songs, and later included a nod to the city with a performance of the Academy Award-winning song, "Streets of Philadelphia."

The tour continues tomorrow night with another show in Philly.

Loretta Lynn has been forced to postpone all of her shows for the immediate future after suffering injuries in a fall that will require surgery.

While Lynn's injuries were described as not serious, a statement posted on her website yesterday said doctors have advised her to stay off the road until she's made a full recovery.

The singer/songwriter had already cancelled a Labor Day weekend show at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Stevie Nicks says she's "hoping that this (tour) will be as much fun for the audience as it's gonna be for me" as she prepares to kick off a two month mini-tour in support of her 2014 album, 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault.

The album was comprised of tracks Nicks had written and made demo recordings of but had never appeared on any of her previous albums.
"I think this (tour) is going to be great," Nicks said. "I think that all the fans are gonna have a ball. And I hope that they totally just dress up- as Wendy Williams would say, 'Dress to the nines.' And come to party, and sing."

Nicks said the set list would likely vary from night to night, but added "Stand Back" would definitely be a part of it. The song, which she said was "written to" Prince’s "Little Red Corvette," and she’s "brokenhearted" that she was never able to have him share the stage with her on the song. "Had I ever in a million years thought that we would lose him, I would have made sure that that would have happened. And it didn't. So that's just one of those things in your life where you so say, 'I really missed out.' Because he should have. That should have happened. So whenever I play ‘Stand Back’ from this day forward, Prince will be standing next to me. That is always going to be a joy.”

Nicks also said fans who a clamoring for a new set of songs from Fleetwood Mac may get their wish- "I learned a long time ago to never say never. Right now, because of the fact that we know that people don't buy records… it's like, hard to sell records. So then you think, 'Well, why do you do records?' Well, the reason you do records is because it's like we're like kids again, and we can do anything we want. We have enough money. We don't really have to work if we don't want to. So we can do records for the reason that we actually did them in the very beginning- just 'cause it's fun.

"Is it possible that Fleetwood Mac might do another record? I can never tell you yes or no, because I don't know. I honestly don't know. … It's like, do you want to take a chance of going in and setting up in a room for like a year [to record an album] and having a bunch of arguing people? And then not wanting to go on tour because you just spent a year arguing? Or do you just go on tour because you know that you have fun up there and you love doing shows? And (Christine McVie's) only been back for a year and a half."

Birthdays today include: Avicii; Wiz Khalifa; Pink; Aimee Mann; David Steele of Fine Young Cannibals; David Lewis of Atlantic Starr; Dean Daughtry of Atlanta Rhythm Section; Jose Feliciano; and Kelly Groucutt of ELO. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 5, 2016

Hey, hi, howdy kids. Welcome to the start of another week. Of course it's Labor Day in the United States, so some of us won't start our work week until tomorrow, but still...

I don't know about you, but it seems that any time there's a short week like this, the work you come back to is always rush, rush, rush. It's kind of like going on vacation. I'd always try to have everything done before I left- but when I got back, there'd be a pile of crap that had to be done because there's no one else capable (not true, though- I don't work in that specialized an industry). 

That kind of thing was a big contributor to me leaving my last job. Back in February, my sister called me early on Saturday to let me know our mother had been taken to the hospital. Before I could even get a bag packed, she called back to say the doctors hadn't been able to resuscitate her. 

I finished packing and drove to Savannah. Before I left, I emailed my boss (the owner of the company) and explained what was going on- and said that I'd most likely be back to work on Wednesday (as I wasn't really certain what I'd need to do before being able to come back). All of my work was done, schedules were set, materials ordered, everyone had assignments. 

I went back to work on Wednesday and everything was fucked. In my two day absence, the production and install schedules that I had planned out had gotten so jacked up that, in the two months I was there after that, they were never in good shape again. 

While I may not be the most organized guy in the world (I forget shit all the time, the office at home is cluttered- to be kind, so is the coffee table in the den, and my nightstand), I do a pretty good job at keeping a work schedule. I know what needs to be done when, and how long jobs take to complete. 

Still, there's always something that crops up. Work isn't a four letter word for nothing, I suppose. I guess that's part of what Labor Day is supposed to be about, huh? Struggles of the working class and all that?

Jerry Heller, longtime music manager, died Friday at the age of 75.

Heller is best known for helping launch the career of N.W.A and the gangsta-rap movement, though he had worked in the music business since the 60s as an agent and promoter for groups like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marvin Gaye, the Who and Black Sabbath.

TMZ reports that Heller died after suffering a medical emergency while driving that resulted in him sustaining serious injuries after crashing his minivan in California, though it was unclear whether he died from the medical emergency or the injuries from the crash.

Beach Boys singer Mike Love's memoir, Good Vibrations, hits the shelves later this month and it's reported that in it, Love goes into detail about the band's relationship with Charles Manson.

People magazine reports that Love wrote that Manson and his followers moved in with bandmate Dennis Wilson in 1968- a little over a year before "the family" killed seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.

Love recalls being at the house with band mate Bruce Johnston when Manson handed out LSD and was "orchestrating sex partners" for some of his female followers. Love says he tried to bow out of the situation and went to take a shower, but was confronted by Manson, who Love says told him, "you can't leave the group."

The White House is getting into the festival game, bringing together music, film and tech innovators for South By South Lawn.

The October 3rd event was described by White House chief digital officer Jason Goldman as a "call to arms for every American to roll up their sleeves and make a positive mark on our country- and a celebration of the great work so many of us have already accomplished."

The festival was inspired by President Obama's speaking engagement at South By Southwest in March, where he suggested Americans use innovation to "address our ills."

"The reason I'm here is to recruit all of you-" the President said, "to say to you as I'm about to leave office: ‘How can we start coming up with new ideas and new approaches across disciplines and across skill sets to solve some of the big problems we face today?'"

The film portion of the festival will feature the 3rd Annual White House Student Film Festival, for kids K-12, while the interactive section will include panel discussions with "influencers who are using their platforms to bring about positive change." 

There has been no announcement regarding performers. The White House is partnering with the American Film Institute, concert promoter C3 Presents, the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities, and South by Southwest organizers for the event.

You have to be nominated to attend through a form on the White House website, so get moving now if you're interested.

Birthdays today include: Dweezil Zappa; Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine; Terry Ellis of En Vogue; Dave Clempson of Humble Pie; Loudon Wainwright III; and Al Stewart. Today would also mark the 70th birthday of the late, great Freddie Mercury. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for September 1, 2016

Hey hi, kids. Hope you're well.

For my friends in the Coastal Empire and Low Country.

A New York state appellate court has ordered a lower court to dismiss Lindsay Lohan's lawsuit against the maker of the Grand Theft Auto games.

Sorry, couldn't hear you over the boobs.

Lohan had filed the suit under New York's version of a right of publicity statute, claiming that Grand Theft Auto V had misappropriated her likeness with a character named "Lacey Jonas." She also alleged that the publisher in merchandise has "used a look-alike model to evoke the persona and image" of Lohan by imitating a photograph that was once taken of her in 2007.

"...Lohan's ... action under Civil Rights Law § 51 must fail because defendants did not use [plaintiffs'] name, portrait, or picture," according to the court's opinion. "... Lohan's claim that an avatar in the video game is she and that her image is used in various images, defendants also never referred to Lohan by name or used her actual name in the video game, never used Lohan herself as an actor for the video game, and never used a photograph of Lohan."

The panel of judges said that even if the depictions were "close enough," the claims still fail because a "video game does not fall under the statutory definitions of 'advertising' or 'trade,'" and that Grand Theft Auto's "unique story, characters, dialogue, and environment, combined with the player's ability to choose how to proceed in the game, render it a work of fiction and satire."

Headline: "KandyPens Partners with Young Thug & A$AP Rocky, Delivers Boogz Boogetz's 'Bodega' Video as Part of Artist Incubator Program" 

Da' fuck did I just read?

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has completed his eight month sentence of home detention and revealed in a recent interview that he was recovering from a recent heart attack.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Rudd said he was "walking around at home, and I started feel, well just funny… I had a strange pain in my chest. So my housekeeper took me to the hospital, when they hooked me up and did all these tests turned out I had a big heart attack...my artery was all blocked up, and they said I had to stay in and have an operation."

Rudd was treated and had a stent inserted in his a.

As for rejoining the band, Rudd said "(if) Angus [Young] wanted me to play then that is up to him. But I don't really want to play with Axl Rose… I don't really rate him."

Rudd said instead he will be re-releasing 2014 solo album Head Job, touring a bit, and teaching a drumming master class at Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

Here's something to take your mind off the passing of Gene Wilder- Apollonia Kotero wrote an open letter to Prince recently, telling him how much she misses him.

"My Dear Prince, 

I have never known you to leave the stage so early. 

4 long, dreadful months have passed since God welcomed you home. Grief, depression, anger, and loneliness are like those bullies who taunted me in grade school. They have been relentless. My life has been a vortex of rage and despair. Waves of sadness washing away the pieces of my broken heart. My own personal hell on Earth. I feel like your widow." 

"I see you everywhere. I see you in everything. I know you wanted to live. You were so happy to be getting your music back. You told me of all your plans. Your plans for me. For A6. I was so excited because you were going to bring me back to Paisley Park to see the finished Purple Rain Room with our images in murals painted on the walls. You wanted to celebrate with A6 and present to us our Platinum Albums."

"On the morning of April 21, I woke up to the worst day of my life. Suddenly my phone began to scream with calls,texts,alerts!... "No...No..." It must be someone else. An employee. A fan possibly? They said something horrible happened inside your home. I turn on CNN. It has to be a hoax. It's a mistake I thought."

"After what feels like broken glass ripping at my heart, they confirm my worst nightmare. I touch your sweet face with my fingertips, but it's only my TV screen. The TV is shut off. It remained that way for weeks." 

"I am certain you are watching, having the last laugh because you predicted this. 'The enemy sends people into our lives just as God does. Be wise enough to know who to let in and who to let go.' 'The devil will walk into a room with tears and will try to make you feel sorry for him.' You said these exact words to me in 2014. 'Jubilant Judas fakes tears.'"

"...You made me feel like a Princess."

"I'm sure you're busy socializing with all your friends and music making up there, but where can I send this letter to you? Maybe I should call The Duffer Brothers for help, as we know stranger things have happened? I promise to check in with you often."

"...I miss you Skipper."

The entire text of the letter is available on her Facebook page, but expect some lag- a lot of people are checking it out.

Birthdays today include: Joseph Mark Trohman of Fall Out Boy; Gloria Estefan; Greg Errico of Sly & The Family Stone; Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) (1946)