How Prince’s turbulent personal life took centre stage

PRINCE wasn’t just known for his music. His personal life often took centre stage - and it was marred by tragedy.

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POP superstar Prince wasn’t only known for his music, with his turbulent personal life often taking centre stage.

He was romantically linked to singer Madonna, actress Kim Basinger and glamour model Carmen Electra over the years, reports The Sun.

However, his home life was marred with tragedy, with his only son dying just a week after being born.

He married his back-up singer and dancer Mayte Garcia in 1996 and she gave birth to their son Boy Gregory in October that same year.

Prince and Mayte Garcia in 1998.

Shortly after being born he was diagnosed with Pfeiffer syndrome and passed away days later.

Garcia, who was the inspiration behind his hit, The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, has released a statement about his death, saying he was her “everything”.

“I can’t even think of the words of what I’m feeling,” she said.

Prince and Garcia on stage in 1995.

“This man was my everything, we had a family. I am beyond deeply saddened and devastated.

“I loved him then, I love him now and will love him eternally,” she continued. “He’s with our son now.”

The couple were famously interviewed by Oprah Winfrey a week after their child passed away but spoke as if he was still alive.

Speaking in 2006 about it, Mayte recalled: “We believed he was going to come back, that souls come back. We didn’t want to acknowledge he was gone, it was our way of grieving.

Singer, artist formerly known as Prince & his fiance Mayte Garcia shown performing at VH-1 Fashion & Music Awards in 1995.

“Losing a baby is a terrible thing. Some couples are brought closer together after the loss of a child, others are driven apart; in our case the latter happened.”

The couple divorced in 1999, but after their separation she reminisced about their time together and said she would “always love him.”

Looking back on their time together, she said: “I remember our first kiss, and thinking, ‘Oh God, oh wow, this is not happening!’

“I remember it being overwhelming and weird. Our entire time together was amazing and surreal, and he showed me some incredible things and introduced me to incredible people.”

“But I think I’m now screwed for life because my first relationship was the most bizarre relationship ever and I’m not normal any more. I’ve kind-of been spoiled and I guess I am kind-of screwed-up now.”

Prince and Manuela Testolini arrive at the 77th Annual Academy Awards in 2005.

“There is no animosity or bad blood, and he was my husband and the father of my child. So although I am not actively in love with him, I will always love him — he’s a great guy.”

He married Manuela Testolini two years later after meeting her while doing charity work.

But the Canadian businesswoman was 19 years his junior and he struggled to keep their relationship afloat.

They divorced amicably in 2006 but he never remarried.

Prince onstage during the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards.

The pop superstar signed his first music management deal aged 17 before going on to shift more than 100 million records worldwide during his career spanning almost 40 years.

He was born Prince Rogers Nelson in 1958 to parents Mattie Della and John Lewis Nelson, both of whom were jazz performers.

He wrote his first song Funk Machine aged seven and had his heart set on a career in music by the time he was a teenager.

Aged just 20, he released his first studio album For You in 1978 and continued to put out an album almost every year afterwards.

His 39th album HITnRUN Phase Two was released in December.

During his extensive career he racked up a slew of chart-topping singles including Purple Rain and Kiss.

But as well as his huge catalogue of hits, he made forays into acting, leading the rock musical of the same name as his single and album, Purple Rain, in 1984.

The film became a cult classic and brought in more than £55 million (A$101 million) at the box office.

The success of the production resulted in him founding his label Paisley Park Records in 1985.

Three years later he completed the 55,000-square-foot studio complex of the same name in Minnesota where he passed away on Thursday.

Just last month Prince revealed he was penning a memoir titled The Beautiful Ones to be published next year.

In an interview in 2009, he revealed his wild stage presence and forward-thinking music was partly a result of childhood epilepsy.

The musician explained he had gone through a struggle with the condition when he was young, for which he felt he had to overcompensate.

He said: “I used to have seizures when I was young. My mother and father didn’t know what to do or how to handle it but they did the best they could with what little they had.”

He claimed at the time that divine intervention cured him of the condition, but he continued to struggle with the effects.

Prince explained: “My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, ‘Mom, I’m not going to be sick anymore,’ and she said ‘Why?’ and I said ‘Because an angel told me so.’

“Now, I don’t remember saying it, that’s just what she told me.

“From that point on, I’ve been having to deal with a lot of things, getting teased a lot in school.

“And early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could.”

Prince and his wife Manuela Testolini sit in the audience at the 35th Annual NAACP Image Awards in 2004.

Throughout his career he made a point of his strong beliefs, adhering to a vegan lifestyle and becoming a Jehovah’s Witness in 2001.

The seven-time Grammy award winner fell ill last week, forcing his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois, US.

He later insisted he was fine and appeared in concert but passed away at his Paisley Park studios on Thursday morning.

Prince: Life in pictures

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This story originally appeared on The Sun.