Named “2025’s Best Non-Fiction”
by African American Literary Awards Show (AALAS)

Dearly Beloved: Prince, Spirituality, and This Thing Called Life

EXPLORE OVER 40 YEARS OF PRINCE’S MUSIC AND DISCOVER THE COMPLEX SPIRITUAL INFLUENCES OF HIS ART
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“Dearly Beloved will invite you to your edges, and then ask if you’re ready for more. This is truly a beautiful book and worthy of contemplation and appreciation.”
—Dr. Resmaa Menakem, author The New York Times Bestseller My Grandmother’s Hands

“Ayo Yetunde and her new book on the deep meaning of Prince’s eternal music are rare gifts that speak to our heart and our soul, that inspire us to reimagine the power of song, soul, and creativity in facing the awe and the ache that lives in us and around us in troubled times.”
—Doug Abrams, co-Author of The Book of Joy


“Yetunde invites you to journey with Prince to the place of beloved awakening: a place where you are beloved not because you are worthy, but simply because you are. Being beloved is grace. If you know this, Dearly Beloved will embrace you. If you don’t know this, Dearly Beloved will shatter you, and then awaken you. In either case, this is a book worthy of your time and attention.”
—Rabbi Rami Shapiro, author of Perennial Wisdom for the Spiritually Independent

“This book is something remarkable—a brilliant reframing of Prince as theologian. His entire canon, B-sides and all, is mined and clarified not only so we can understand his complex faith, but better understand our own. An important contribution to music and church!”
—Rev. Julian “J.Kwest” DeShazier, pastor and artist

“Pamela Ayo Yetunde brings the wealth of Christian as well as Buddhist traditions to bear in this book and spells out in detail the spiritual and theological themes embedded in the music of iconic artist Prince.”
—Ruben L.F. Habito, author of Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wounded World and Be Still and Know: Zen and the Bible.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Prince spoke those words over celestial organ sounds in the opening moments of Let's Go Crazy he wasn't just inaugurating yet another Billboard Hot 100 hit--one of forty-seven in his career; he was also giving voice to the deep-seated and richly complex spiritual underpinning of his art. Prince is beloved by millions worldwide, and a true legend of the pop genre. Yet most of his fans don't recognize the spiritual messages coded within his work, nor understand the connections between Prince's own religious devotion--which evolved over time--and the sexualized messages of his music. Prince was beguiling and used his seductive and mysterious charm to draw his fans into his spiritual and cosmic worldviews, often without their knowledge.

In Dearly Beloved, Pamela Ayo Yetunde, a lifelong Prince fan and founder of the Theology of Prince project when she taught at United Theological Seminary in Prince's own Minneapolis, decodes the spiritual and sexual messages behind Prince's work, from For You to Graffiti Bridge to The Rainbow Children and beyond.

Exploring more than forty years of his music and art, you will discover Prince as a spiritual giant. He might not have always gotten it right, but nonetheless he cast a powerful vision for what it means to be dearly beloved, what it takes to gather intentionally, the opportunities presented by being in the present, and how to engage with the complexities of human experience. For anyone who loves Prince, is inspired by him, is confused by his lyrics, or is curious about what his music means--and for all who live in search of deeper meaning and tools for cultivating resilience in difficult times--Dearly Beloved is an essential spiritual guide.

Yetunde discuss Prince book on TV

Prince Gospel Music Conclave

For your consideration Gospel Music Hall of Fame, we nominate Prince

After Dearly Beloved: Prince, Spirituality, & This Thing Called Life was released, I realized that I still had hope -- hope that someone, anyone, would nominate Prince to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (GMHF).  I also realized that there are songs that the GMHF would never consider and that his body of work could be taken as undermining his gospel music contributions.  With these things in mind, knowing that Prince's fans are passionate and immeasurable, and inspired by the conclave to elect Pope Leo the XIV, I decided to invite Prince fans on Facebook into a conclave to select Prince songs they would put on a double album that would demonstrate his gospel music commitments.  We created two lists, one for the GMHF and the other for sacred music programs at colleges and universities. 

For your consideration sacred music programs, we suggest Prince