Paul Simon once said Prince’s legacy would be forgotten: “I doubt that he would even care”
There are plenty of artists whose death many will be dreading to hear the news of, simply for how impactful their music has been over a significant period of time. Hearing of Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen or Joni Mitchell’s passing will be devastating not only for fans but for the wider music industry, and the day they eventually come sadly can’t be prolonged forever.
The collective mourning done by the music world throughout 2025 was almost unprecedented, with the loss of Brian Wilson and Ozzy Osbourne sending shockwaves far beyond the pop and metal communities they were a part of. You don’t have to be a fan of either artist to understand their importance in the history of music, and their respective deaths will likely be seen as moments where an era ended when reflected upon in several years’ time.
I say almost unprecedented, as 2016 had previously proved to be another awful year for having to accept that the older we get, the more frequently our heroes will leave this mortal coil. This annus horribilis was dreadful for a number of reasons, largely politically, but also happened to be a torrid time for the loss of musical icons, with it being the year that we lost David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and, perhaps most importantly to some, Prince.
The amount that Prince did to reshape the musical landscape in a relatively short space of time is nothing short of astounding, and rightfully, he’s still hailed as a genius, a revolutionary, and a one-of-a-kind artist ten years on. This isn’t likely to ever change, and in history books written hundreds of years from now, should such a thing exist, Prince’s name will be inscribed into them in the same way that we talk about classical composers like Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach.
However, a decade far exceeds the amount of time that Paul Simon believed his legacy would survive, and he thought that the grief would quickly pass with people no longer bothered by the fact that they’ll never hear a new Prince record again.
As Prince’s death came as a shock to many, with him only being 57 at the time of his passing, discussion of his importance was rife in the weeks immediately afterwards, and during an interview with Vice, the ‘Graceland’ singer predicted that these conversations wouldn’t be going on for much longer.
“There was a period of time where he was making music that was fun,” he argued, before entering into a philosophical discussion about the possibility of him leaving behind a legacy of his own. “I’m not that interested in my legacy. I didn’t do this so everyone would applaud for me when I’m dead. I did it because I was really interested in solving a musical problem, because I selfishly was getting a lot of pleasure out of doing this. I’m glad of the fact other people like it, and say thank you. I didn’t do it for you, but I’m glad you like it.”
Seemingly unbothered by the idea of passing away and it not registering with his fans, he claimed that Prince would have felt the same, and that he would be just as unbothered from the afterlife. “When I think about Prince’s legacy, I think the truth is next week it won’t be a story, and I doubt that he would even care.”
It’s perhaps the understatement of the century, given how significant Prince has always been and always will be, and you know full well that Simon himself will be due the same treatment when he dies. This isn’t a day anyone will be looking forward to, but a time must come to honour the great songwriter and ensure that he, too, will cement his place in the history books for centuries to come.
