Arts & Entertainment
Prince's Death: Atlanta Teacher Breaks Down in Class
When Matthew Patterson learned that Prince had died, the news hit him "like a ton of bricks."

COLLEGE PARK, GA -- Matthew Patterson has been listening to Prince since he was 7.
On Thursday, when the Banneker High School teacher learned of the iconic musician's death, Patterson started playing a video of a Prince performance on the smart board.
And then he broke down in front of his class. One of Patterson's students recorded his reaction and posted it online, showing the world how much the entertainer meant to so many people:
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When my teacher found out Prince died pic.twitter.com/biNapKWJBU
— ✨ diamond ✨ (@shvrdae) April 21, 2016
The news of Prince's death "hit me like a ton of bricks," Patterson told the New York Daily News.
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Patterson talked to his class about how much Prince meant to him and his generation. He then recalled the time he saw Prince in person at Philips Arena, where the musician captivated a sold-out audience with an acoustic guitar performance.
Ironically, one of Prince's final performances was also in Atlanta, last week at the Fox Theatre.
Prince died on Thursday at his recording studio in Minnesota. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday to determine the singer's cause of death.
Read more of Patch's coverage of Prince's death:
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