When junior Will Poulter heard about Prince’s passing in the cafeteria, he felt cold and immediately went to talk to his English teacher, Andrew Wilkes.

“I was in the lunchroom and I was so cold,” Poulter said. “It’s cold because he’s gone now. That’s the first thing that came to my head.”

Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his recording studio, on April 21 at age 57, according to CNN. Prince was known for his album and film, both titled “Purple Rain.” The soundtrack of the film won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score and the album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1984, according to Billboard.

History teacher Scott Miller said he appreciates Prince’s ability to transcend race in music.

“MTV hit in the very early ‘80s, and before then black and white music was separate,” Miller said. “MTV exposed many white Americans to black artists, and Prince was a major part of this. This opened the door for other black artists such as Run DMC.”

Poulter said he remembers listening to Prince when he was young.

“Growing up as a kid, it’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘oh my gosh he’s from Minnesota,’ and you listen to all his music and he’s still alive and he’s one of those people you always expect to be there,” Poulter said. “It wasn’t real, almost.”

According to Miller, Prince’s music was a huge part of his experience growing up in the 1980s.

“I remember I’d get picked up by my friends on Friday night and in the cassette tape player in the car, I’d hear ‘Purple Rain,’” Miller said.

Senior Lexie McChesney said she thinks Prince’s individuality was a factor in his influence on culture.

“He had a really, really unique style and he owned it,” McChesney said. “I thought that made him shine.”

Poulter said he loves the fact that Prince hailed from the state of Minnesota and lived here throughout his life.

“I love how he did his own thing no matter what and didn’t follow the crowd, but was still able to win,” Poulter said. “It’s so crazy to imagine, even after the Grammys, Prince sitting in his house in Minnesota of all places. It’s cool to have that connection.”