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The greatly-missed rock superstar Prince somehow managed to be a man of mystery even as he lived his life in the public eye. His interviews were reserved and often downright esoteric. Even in death, he inspires people to think deeply about their lives. However, Prince once elicited a response from one The View host that he didn’t want to hear.

Prince was an utterly unique kind of rock star

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Musician Prince performs onstage at the 36th Annual NAACP Image Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on March 19, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Prince is an icon of a generation. While the height of his megastardom was in the 1980s, buoyed by Purple Rain (the song and the film), he never stopped drawing massive crowds. Just Prince’s presence in something (like an episode of New Girl, for example) resonated with everyone. 

Like so many other memorable artists, Prince died young. However, he’s the type of pop culture figure that is gone but certainly not forgotten. And, thanks to his vigilant desire to stay true to himself, he was present for some very public moments that others involved might wish they could forget.

Why Prince walked off an awkward appearance on ‘The View’

When Prince popped in for an interview on The View in 2010, he was clearly out of his comfort zone. “These are strange hours for rock stars,” the legendary rocker quietly noted. The hosts of the morning talk show, on the other hand, were energized and elated by his arrival.

Arguably they were too energized. Sherri Shepherd, in particular, was visibly starstruck. The NY Daily News reports that she muttered to Prince with a wavering voice that she “always wanted to make love to [him].” That was the rocker’s cue to leave. His eyes went wide, comically backing away from the hosts, leaving the set for good.

On the This Is 50 YouTube page, Shepherd revisited the moment. She seemingly had no regrets for her forwardness. “I think we all love Prince!” she said. “All 4-foot-8 of Prince.”

Prince was known for his uncompromising presence

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Prince always spoke his mind in every context. He was known for speaking out directly on everything from spirituality to fellow musicians and celebrities in interviews. His quiet, thoughtful demeanor meant he did these things in very few words. And he had no problem letting a statement speak for itself, refusing to elaborate further.

One of his more curious statements was his famous response to a line of questioning on the meaning of life on Entertainment Tonight, of all places. ET reports that the 1997 interview was supposed to be about his name change from “Prince” to an unpronounceable symbol. Instead of focusing on that, Prince dropped an unforgettable gem of advice. “Ego is one thing, money is one thing, but reverence for life and service to others is the key to getting off this planet.”

That contemplative pose could turn biting when the topic called for it. The New York Post reports that Prince plainly stated in his memoir that he hated Ed Sheeran and Katy Perry’s music. Clearly, he was never one for the polished public relations style that most celebrities adopt.