Music legend Prince has spoken of his childhood struggle with epilepsy during a rare, soul-bearing interview.
“I’ve never spoken about this before, but I was born epileptic,” the Purple Rain hitmaker said on the PBS show Tavis Smiley. “I used to have seizures when I was young. And 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.”
The Grammy-winning singer, 50, said the illness helped shape his over-the-top persona.
“From that point on, I’ve been having to deal with a lot of things, getting teased a lot in school,” he added. “You know, early in my career I tried to compensate for that by being as flashy as I could and as noisy as I could.”
A Jehovah’s Witness who weaves spiritual themes through his songs, Prince said his faith also helped him cope. “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,” Prince said.
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