Prince's Estate Shares Handwritten Note About Intolerance on What Would've Been Singer's 62nd Birthday

As demonstrators across the world gather to protest in the aftermath of George Floyd's death, Prince's estate released a handwritten message from the late and legendary singer denouncing intolerance on Sunday.

The estate shared his note, catalogued in Prince's personal archives, to social media on what would have been the performer's 62nd birthday. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 57.

"Prince dedicated his life to speaking out against injustice, advocating for black excellence, and spreading the message of 'Love 4 One Another.' In this note that he kept in his personal archives, he wrote a message that still resonates today," the estate wrote on Twitter early Sunday morning.

A photograph of the note penned by Prince, who hailed from Minneapolis, was attached to the estate's tweet. It read: "Nothing more ugly in the whole wide world than INTOLERANCE (between) Black, white, red, yellow, boy or girl. INTOLERANCE."

The archived message's release followed nearly two weeks of rallies condemning police violence and racism after Floyd's death in custody on May 25. Videos recorded by bystanders and security footage from a surrounding store went viral online shortly after, sparking widespread public action in numerous United States cities and abroad. The videos showed four Minneapolis Police Department officers involved in Floyd's death, with one of them, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on the victim's neck for more than eight minutes as he lost consciousness.

After days of demonstrations, Chauvin was arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges May 29, with the former charge later elevated to second-degree murder. The other former officers involved were arrested last Wednesday and each charged with aiding and abetting.

In addition to seeking justice for Floyd and his family, those participating in recent protests note that his death was not an isolated incident, but one of many that point to systemic abuses and a culture of racism among law enforcement authorities.

During his lifetime, Prince addressed that subject through music. When 25-year-old Freddie Gray died while in custody of Baltimore police in 2015, the singer wrote a song, "Baltimore," that mourned the deaths of Gray as well as Michael Brown. According to The Baltimore Sun, Prince also organized and performed at a "Rally 4 Peace" concert held in the Maryland city to honor Grey's memory, following his death and the public outcry that came after.

As the artist's estate referenced in its Sunday tweet, Prince founded the nonprofit organization Love 4 One Another in 1996, alongside his wife at the time, Mayte Garcia. The organization still exists today with a mission to support and advocate for arts and music programs at education institutions. In 2016, CBS Minnesota reported that a review of the organization's tax forms following Prince's death confirmed Love 4 One Another donated more than $1.5 million to community programs between 2005 and 2007, several of which were based in his Minneapolis hometown.