Mayte Garcia is mourning the loss of her former husband Prince, the man she has described as her "everything". In a statement released to People following the shocking death of the iconic musician, she said: "I can't even think of the words of what I'm feeling. "This man was my everything, we had a family. I am beyond deeply saddened and devastated. I loved him then, I love him now and will love him eternally," she added. "He's with our son now."
© Photo: Getty ImagesMayte Garcia has broken her silence following the death of former husband Prince
Mayte first met Prince – born Prince Rogers Nelson – in 1990 at a concert in Spain when she was just 16 years old. Shortly afterwards he hired her to work as a dancer on his Diamonds and Pearls tour.Six years later on Valentine's Day 1996, Prince and Mayte, who was 22 at the time, were married in his home town of Minneapolis, and within two months she was pregnant.In late 1996, Mayte gave birth to the couple's son, Boy Gregory. Tragically, the newborn only lived a week after being born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the skull and bones in the hands and feet. His death devastated them both.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe musician hired Mayte as a dancer on his Diamonds and Pearls tour
Mayte fell pregnant again soon afterwards, but miscarried. She later said the death of their two children took a huge toll on the marriage. "To lose two babies is really scary. It really caught on me emotionally, physically, everything. It took me at least 15 years to get over it and still, to this day, I miss my son," she told the Mirror last year. "I believe a child dying between a couple either makes you stronger or it doesn't. For me, it was very, very hard to move forward and for us as a couple I think it probably broke us."
© Photo: RexThe couple annulled their marriage on their third wedding anniversary
Prince and his wife – the inspiration behind his hit The Most Beautiful Girl in the World – annulled their marriage on their third anniversary in 1999 and were officially divorced in 2000.A year later, the star married Testolini Nelson, a former employer at his charitable foundation. She filed for divorce in 2006.
