10 Years After Prince, His Attorney Still Feels the ‘Heart Drop’

*Ten years after the death of Prince, the pain hasn’t faded for those who knew him best. If anything, it’s evolved — from shock to responsibility, from grief to purpose. For longtime attorney and close confidant L. Londell McMillan, the moment he learned Prince was gone still hits the same. “It was a heart drop,” […] The post 10 Years After Prince, His Attorney Still Feels the ‘Heart Drop’ appeared first on EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More.

Apr 21, 2026 - 14:27

10 Years After Prince, His Attorney Still Feels the ‘Heart Drop’

L Londell McMillan - screenshot — L. Londell McMillan – screenshot

*Ten years after the death of Prince, the pain hasn’t faded for those who knew him best. If anything, it’s evolved — from shock to responsibility, from grief to purpose.

For longtime attorney and close confidant L. Londell McMillan, the moment he learned Prince was gone still hits the same.

“It was a heart drop,” McMillan said to EURweb’s Lee Bailey. “Like you just felt the heart drop … you didn’t know what to really think other than no. It was a heart drop.”

That feeling — raw, immediate, and overwhelming — hasn’t fully gone away. And in many ways, McMillan says he hasn’t had the time to properly process it.

“It’s been a 10-year fire, brother,” he explained. “I haven’t had a chance to actually grieve… I’m running too fast. So, I’m putting the work in.”

That work has become his way of healing — and his way of honoring one of the most iconic artists in music history.

‘A Force of Nature’

Looking back a decade later, McMillan describes Prince in terms that feel almost too big for one person — yet somehow still not enough.

“He was a force of nature… with a phenomenal and blessed talent that was not only extraordinary, but haunting,” the attorney responded. “He gave it all he had and always kept his pedal to the metal, pushing the music and the culture forward.”

That relentless drive wasn’t reserved for sold-out arenas. It showed up everywhere — even in intimate moments that felt larger than life.

Recalling a private performance for just a few dozen people at Paisley Park, the experience still stands out as unforgettable.

“It was as if it was 30,000 people,” the memory goes. “This guy does not play.”

According to McMillan, that level of intensity wasn’t an exception — it was the standard.

“He didn’t hire band musicians to play for a gig. He hired them to be staff to play for him every day,” McMillan said. “He rehearsed, created, produced… every day for the most part.”

The Prince Most People Didn’t See

While the public often saw Prince as intensely serious and singularly focused, McMillan says that image only tells part of the story.

“One of the biggest misconceptions… is that he was serious all the time,” he told us. “But once you really got to know him, he was very fun, clever, witty… a prankster.”

He joked. He teased. He played the dozens. And he had a competitive streak that bordered on legendary.

“Whether he was playing basketball, ping pong, roller skating, or bowling — he had to win,” McMillan said. “He was hard to beat.”

That same competitive spirit extended to music — including the long-discussed dynamic between Prince and Michael Jackson.

“He had tremendous respect for Michael,” said McMillan. “But he would let you know… ‘I’m a musician.’”

The two icons weren’t close friends, but their mutual respect ran deep.

“They had a profound respect and admiration… but they kept their own respective distances,” he revealed.

Prince / Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Grief, Work, and an Unfinished Mission

For McMillan, grief didn’t lead to stillness — it led to action.

Almost immediately after Prince’s passing, he found himself immersed in the complexities of managing and protecting the artist’s estate.

“I jumped into a fire around his estate… and I’m still in the fire,” he said.

That “fire” has resulted in an enormous amount of work over the past decade — much of it unseen by the public.

Since Prince’s death, the estate has released more than 50 projects, including remastered albums, expanded editions, and previously unreleased material.

“We have to properly curate it, preserve it so that it can last forever,” McMillan said.

Beyond music, the mission has expanded into new generations and new platforms — from high-profile licensing deals to major creative projects.

That includes a film project involving Academy Award-winning director Ryan Coogler, a “Purple Rain” musical headed to Broadway, and continued expansion of Paisley Park as a cultural landmark. A museum

“If you really want to be close to his spirit, come to Paisley Park,” McMillan recommended.