Prince was a mystery wrapped in purple lace. Everyone knows the music, the high-heeled boots, and that unmistakable falsetto, but his private life was a vault. When people search for prince the singer wife, they usually expect a single name, but the truth is way more layered. He was married twice, yet those relationships were defined by a mix of intense creative collaboration and profound, quiet tragedy.
He didn't do "normal." His marriages weren't just about domestic life; they were extensions of his art.
Mayte Garcia: The Muse and the Heartbreak
Mayte Garcia wasn't just his first wife. She was his protégé. She was 16 when she first met him backstage after he saw a video of her belly dancing. Honestly, that sounds wild by today's standards, but they stayed in touch for years before she officially joined his New Power Generation band. By the time they married on Valentine’s Day in 1996, she was 22 and he was 37.
It looked like a fairy tale. He wrote "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" about her, and if you watch the videos from that era, the chemistry is almost uncomfortable to witness.
But things got heavy fast.
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Their son, Amiir, was born in October 1996 with Pfeiffer syndrome type 2, a rare genetic disorder. He lived only six days. Losing a child is enough to break any couple, but Prince and Mayte had to deal with it under the blinding lights of global fame. They tried to put on a brave face—even appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show shortly after the loss, where Prince gave a tour of a playroom that was heartbreakingly empty. Mayte later wrote in her memoir, The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince, that they never really recovered. They lost a second pregnancy shortly after, and the marriage dissolved. They annulled it on their third anniversary, though they stayed legally married until 2000.
Manuela Testolini: The Quiet Power Player
While Mayte was the performer, Prince’s second wife, Manuela Testolini, was the professional. They met while she was working for his charitable foundation, Love 4 One Another. Manuela was younger—about 24 to his 43 when they wed in 2001—but she brought a different kind of stability to his world.
This era was a shift for Prince. He had become a Jehovah’s Witness, influenced heavily by bassist Larry Graham. Manuela embraced this lifestyle with him. They lived a relatively low-key life in Toronto, far away from the madness of Hollywood or the isolation of Paisley Park.
She was incredibly smart. She didn't want to be a backup dancer; she wanted to build schools and fund libraries. But even that wasn't enough to keep the Purple One grounded forever. Manuela filed for divorce in 2006. It was reportedly amicable, or as amicable as things get with a man who lived behind a gated estate. Interestingly, Prince was reportedly devastated. His lawyer at the time, Patrick Burke, noted that Prince didn't want the divorce. Manuela went on to marry singer Eric Benét, which is one of those "small world" Hollywood coincidences since Benét was famously married to Halle Berry.
The Women Who Weren't Wives (But Almost Were)
You can't talk about prince the singer wife without mentioning the women who shaped him but never walked down the aisle. Prince had a type: brilliant, talented, and fiercely independent.
- Sheila E.: They were engaged at one point. She famously said he proposed to her while they were on stage. Their musical bond was perhaps the strongest of his life.
- Susan Moonsie: His 80s muse who inspired the group Vanity 6.
- Vanity (Denise Matthews): Maybe his most iconic partner. They were the "it" couple of the early 80s. When she passed away just months before he did in 2016, Prince was visibly shaken during his Piano & A Microphone tour.
- Susannah Melvoin: Sister of Wendy Melvoin (from The Revolution). They were engaged for a long time during the Sign o' the Times era. She’s the one who inspired "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Why These Marriages Mattered for His Music
Prince used his relationships as fuel. When he was with Mayte, his music was lush, romantic, and obsessed with the idea of legacy (think Emancipation). When he was with Manuela, he moved into a more jazz-influenced, spiritual phase (think The Rainbow Children).
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He was a man who needed a mirror. His wives were often reflections of who he wanted to be at that specific moment in his life.
The Mystery of the Final Years
By the time Prince passed away in 2016 at Paisley Park, he was single. There were rumors, of course—there were always rumors—but no official prince the singer wife existed at the end. He had become increasingly isolated.
People often wonder why he didn't remarry. Some say he was too difficult to live with because of his nocturnal work schedule. He would stay up for 20 hours straight in the studio. Others think the loss of his son changed his DNA in a way that made a "normal" family life impossible.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Researchers
If you're looking into Prince's personal history, don't just look at the tabloids. To truly understand the men behind the marriages, you have to look at the work created during those years.
- Read Mayte Garcia’s Memoir: The Most Beautiful is the most intimate look at Prince as a husband and father. It’s raw and doesn't polish over the hard parts.
- Listen to "The Holy River": This track from the Emancipation album is basically a documentary of his mindset when he decided to marry Mayte.
- Research Manuela Testolini’s Foundation: To see the side of Prince that cared about the world, look at In a Perfect World, the foundation Manuela started. It carries on the philanthropic spirit they shared.
- Watch the "3121" Era Interviews: This gives a glimpse into his life in Toronto with Manuela, showing a much more relaxed, accessible version of the artist.
Prince was a man who loved deeply but perhaps loved his art more. His wives weren't just footnotes; they were the architects of his most emotional eras. Whether it was the flamboyant dancing of the 90s or the philanthropic quiet of the 2000s, his partners defined the man behind the symbol.