By Hayden Wright
Prince’s death one year ago adrenalized longstanding fascination with his mysterious and colorful personal life—including his marriage to protege Mayte Garcia. The dancer and musician was married to the Purple One from 1996 through 1999, and as a couple they faced major challenges like the death of their infant son shortly after his birth. In her new memoir The Most Beautiful Girl, Mayte reflects on Prince’s role in her life but doesn’t think of the book as a “tell-all.”
Related: Prince’s ‘Sign O The Times’ 30 Years Later: A Look Back at His Magnum Opus
“I started writing this book years ago. I wanted to remember, just, my childhood,” Garcia told Billboard. “People would tell me, especially after my marriage to Prince, you need to write a book because you’ve had a crazy life.”
She said Prince’s death accelerated the writing and publishing process of the book, but she approached it with deep respect for his life and legacy.
“It was never like a tell-all or to talk bad about my relationship and my past. Actually, it was done for love, and then when he passed, then I really felt the urgency to do it because I know a lot of people are going to come out with books and stories, but none like mine.”
Garcia opened up about how she and Prince coped with the loss of their son Amiir differently.
“I can’t speak for him and his loss,” she said. “He just got into the work. … That’s what he does, through anger, through love. My journey was different. For me it was really hard on my body, on my soul, the loss, and for many years I kept it trapped, and to release it has been really healing. I feel like I’m honoring him and our son with this book.”
Garcia also said she rarely saw Prince under the influence during their marriage, but there were signs of a double life like an incident when he asked her to flush pills down a toilet.
“He never complained about pain,” Mayte recalled. “I never saw him drunk. The three incidences that I mention in the book, the first one was aspirin and wine.”
It might not be a tell-all, but it’s definitely a tell-some.
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