In the wake of the shocking news of Prince's death, fans are scouring the Internet for any information on what might have caused the passing of the beloved musician. Following the announcement that Prince was found dead in his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota on the morning of Apr. 21 (the artist's rep confirmed the news to Bustle in a statement that said, "It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57"), fans flocked to Twitter and noticed something intriguing: the mysterious nature of Prince's Twitter icon, whatever it means.
On the day of Prince's death, a rumor quickly spread that the singer's icon, an illustrated portrait of the artist with both eyes closed, but a third eye on his forehead wide open, was changed right after his passing, sparking many to question what Prince's icon really means. However, that rumor was quickly debunked. Prince's Twitter icon was actually added to the social networking site in late March, according to this blog post by Welcome2theDawn.
In many mystical teachings and religions, the opening of the Third Eye is an important step in a spiritual awakening. For example, the Third Eye Chakra is said to help one become more introspective and aware of the deeper meanings of life. In the last few years, Prince had embraced the third eye symbol, wearing third eye sunglasses to public appearances and incorporating the symbol into his performances. He is seen wearing the glasses on the cover art of his 2014 album, Art Official Age (which just so happens to have been his 33rd studio album), and had been recording and performing with a new group of women, called 3rdEyeGirl.
In his other Twitter avatars and artwork, Prince's third eye was always covered by sunglasses or unseen — which makes his current icon all the more impactful.
