Prince had quite a range of performance styles, from outrageously flamboyant to tenderly touching. His out-sized talent may have hidden a deep tendency towards shyness and anxiety. According to various reports, stage fright and social anxiety may have been a factor in his opioid use. The pharmaceutical narcotics that eased his painful joints may have also have eased an anxious mind. While anti-anxiety meds and antidepressants are not said to figure into his demise, there is a lesson here if he sought Percocet to ease psychological as well as physical...

It used to be illegal drugs that felled great artists – Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison. Now it's more likely to be pharmaceuticals –Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Heath Ledger, and now Prince. I must admit, I didn't realize how hard I would take Prince's untimely death. Last week I watched loads of his videos, appreciating the depth and breadth of Prince's artistic genius. His music transports me back to New York City in the 80's. It was an exciting and adventurous time to live in the Big Apple, and his...