Last month marked 10 years since pop star Prince‘s death, and his former wife, Mayte Garcia, is making sure that his legacy lives on in many different ways.

The author, artist, and philanthropist leads Live 4 Love Charities that she and Prince started in 1996 in honor of their son Amiir. The charity recently hosted its Glam Slam Benefit to honor Prince on the 10-year anniversary of his passing, alongside the City of Los Angeles declaring the day Prince Day.

The Blast spoke exclusively with Garcia ahead of the event, and again after to see how it went and if this is something Garcia plans to do year after year to honor Prince.

Mayte Garcia Shares Insight Into Prince Day And The Glam Slam Benefit

When asked how the Glam Slam Benefit went, Garcia simply said, “It was so nice.”

She explained that the past 10 years have been “really hard” and it’s been tough to not be sad when thinking about Prince. But she wanted to change the narrative and start celebrating his life instead of mourning it.

“It’s been really hard thinking of him and trying to not be sad. He always said that he wanted to celebrate the day he passed away and I was like you are silly for saying that, and I thought it was too soon,” Garcia exclusively told The Blast. “But then I think 10 years marks a time and then especially for the charity, because it was about giving back and I felt it was appropriate to have a day. It was beautiful and people had such great energy in the room.”

Garcia said the event went how Prince would have wanted it to, and that was a special feeling for her.

April 21 Is Now Prince Day In LA

In addition to the benefit, the City of Los Angeles declared April 21 Prince Day with many monuments, such as the Hollywood Sign, glowing purple in his honor.

“We’re trying to get every city to name it Prince Day,” Garcia said. “But I mean, it was so awesome to go into the town hall and see the formality of it.”

She said she is happy that his legacy continues to live on and even attract the newer generations.

“For the purple people, which are his fans, they continue to play. They continue to support. It’s great to see,” she said. “I have a 14-year-old and it’s great to see, she already knew his music, but she’s like, ‘Mom, Purple Rain is on TikTok like crazy and everybody’s playing it.’ And I am like that’s just so heartwarming because that was so important for him to have his music live on.”

More About Live 4 Love Charities

Live 4 Love Charities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded by Garcia and Prince Rogers Nelson in 1996. Rooted in his guiding principles of “helping people up” and “helping people out,” Garcia has been carrying on the message and the foundation since Prince’s death. Through various programs and initiatives, the foundation provides resources that help to strengthen communities and promote lasting positive change, all while honoring the pop star’s legacy the way he would have wanted.

“As a whole, our mission statement is helping people love, helping people laugh. Prince was really into children’s education, coding, sustainability, music, arts,” she explained. “I know for me as a child, the only thing that kept me from being rebellious was the discipline from dance and to be able to express myself and be able to get attention.”

Garcia also explained she was bullied and that led to insecurities, but when she danced, it all went away so she feels it’s so important for the younger generation to be able to have access to the arts.

“We’re actually doing an event May 30 and 31 in Dallas, Texas. We’re going to have chats, like a power break of enlightening and empowering and making them feel good about themselves,” she said. “That’s part of the program for Live 4 Love.”

Garcia said the “sky’s the limit” when the discussion of what’s next for the foundation entered the chat.

“I’m pitching to a lot of big corporations to kind of help get it to grow so that we can go in every city,” she told The Blast. “Minneapolis is our home. That’s where our stomping ground is. But just kind of hitting the world with some good stuff just makes life a little better.”

For more information about Live 4 Love Charities, visit the website.

With The New ‘Michael’ Movie, Talk Of Prince And MJ’s ‘Rivalry’ Has Resurfaced…But Was It What People Made It Out To Be?

While Prince’s legacy easily lives on with his family, friends, and fans, sometimes something pops up on social media that will bring an old discussion to the table. One of those conversations recently has been around Michael Jackson and Prince’s connection, thanks to the new “Michael” movie.

When asked if she could share any insight on that dynamic, Garcia said, “It was never negative. You know, it was always respect. Never, never talked bad about Michael. Never.”

Garcia said she never personally witnessed any issues between the two pop stars, but shared what she did see.

“If Michael or anybody came to his concert, it was a big deal for him. He really appreciated it,” she said. “I heard that Michael Jackson showed up to one of his concerts and he introduced the band members to him. There’s always a rivalry, but a healthy one.”

Mayte Garcia Also Runs An Animal Rescue In Las Vegas

On top of running the foundation, Garcia keeps busy with her Vegas-based animal rescue.

“I’ve been rescuing for over 20 years now. My TED Talk explains why I rescue. A dog saved my life and I really feel that they’re voiceless and such loving creatures and I feel it’s my duty to, if I can, find a way to raise funds and get this dog or cat placed, or birds as well,” she explained. “My goal, I am going to do a getaway every year. We’re doing it in Costa Rica and Puerto Rico. I know a lot of nonprofits are helping, but I would love to do another. I did it like seven years ago after Hurricane Maria. I took 50 dogs and flew them in. I adopted all of them, so I want to do that again.”

For more information about Mayte’s Rescue, to volunteer, or adopt or foster a pet, visit the website.