(CNN) — At the height of his stardom in the 1980s, Prince was ubiquitous, a marquee star who sold out stadiums, stole the silver screen and slayed fans with his bare-chested sass and sexuality.
Then a dispute with his record company in the 1990s changed his worldview and he retreated from the public eye.
Save for the occasional awards show, benefit or tour, we saw very little of the Purple One. He kept his private life private — no small feat in the age of social media.
He fought to protect his brand in an industry known for its formulaic approach by maintaining a tight grip on his music — keeping it off YouTube and streaming services. He also had a strict no-cameras policy at his shows.
All of which made his death Thursday that much more shocking. A look at the last few days of his life provides some clues in hindsight that all was not well, but it’s safe to assume that if Prince knew death was near, he didn’t want us to know.
Stories from his fans, collaborators and friends piece together a more intimate mosaic of a peculiar, perplexing man person, if never fully understood, was fully loved:
"When I got back, Prince had the briefcase out on the floor. He clicked the lock and opened it, and took out the strangest, most singular pair of roller skates I had ever seen. They were clear skates that lit up, and the wheels sent a multicolored spark trail into your path.
He took them out and did a big lap around the rink. Man. He could skate like he could sing."
-- Questlove, in his book "Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove," about the time he was invited to go roller skating with Prince.