Apollonia Kotero, Prince’s Protégé, Breaks Silence On Singer’s Death In Facebook Post

Prince’s protégé Apollonia Kotero broke her silence on the “When Doves Cry” star’s death with a touching Facebook post Tuesday. Prince plucked Kotero to play his love interest in the semi-autobiographical 1984 movie “Purple Rain,” and remained friends with the singer-actress throughout his career.

She thanked her loved ones for their support. “My dear friends and family, thank you so much for your sentiments and prayers,” Kotero wrote Tuesday. “The love you have shown for my dear friend Prince has been my support system. Your dedication to him is profound and beyond words. Please know that during these most difficult days I have spent my time with my close friend and media consultant Elliot Mintz. He has been my guide and guardian angel as I want to honor and continue to have the greatest respect for Prince and his preference for privacy. When I am ready and it's appropriate I will share with you all that is in my heart and all that is my truth. Thank you for your love, understanding and patience. You are everything 2 me.”

It is suspected that Prince died from a drug overdose. A cause of death has not yet been officially determined, and it could be several weeks until it is.

Kotero was reportedly worried about the star right before his death. “Apollonia is dealing with the news and trying to process the news like us all. She is devastated like us all," an insider told Hollywood Life in an exclusive report Thursday. “Apollonia was calling him a lot, checking in with him just last week. She was really worried about him since his plane made the emergency landing last week. She was still very close to Prince."

Carmen Electra, who also was catapulted to stardom with Prince’s help, also wrote a message for the singer after his shocking death. “I feel so sad and confused right now,” she wrote to her 506,000 Instagram followers Thursday. “I'm in shock! I love u, Prince. Hope you're comfortable and peaceful now. Play on, my love, play on.”

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella