Prince's ex-wife opens up about baby's death

May 11, 2016 at 12:12AM
FILE - In this Feb. 8, 1997 file photo, Prince poses backstage with his wife Mayte at the 28th annual NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif. Prince died at his suburban Minneapolis home on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at the age of 57. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
In 1997, Prince and Mayte attended the NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif. Mayte Garcia spoke Friday about their son, who died a week after birth. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Prince's ex-wife Mayte Garcia has spoken candidly about the personal tragedy she and Prince experienced in 1996, when their newborn son died just a week after being born, Access Hollywood reports.

"Like most women, I always dreamed of becoming a mother," she told a gathering in Los Angeles on Friday, pausing to wipe away tears. "It just wasn't my time yet. After that, I was broken. And I lost hope. I basically gave up my dream of becoming a mom."

She shared her story at the Single Mom's Planet "Single Mom's Awards."

More than a decade after the devastating loss, Mayte went on to co-star in VH1's "Hollywood Exes," an experience she said was one she considered carefully. "For years, my marriage to Prince was mine," she said, explaining that she was initially reluctant to take part in a reality show that would make her personal life public.

"The idea of exposing myself to the world … was terrifying," she said. However, she said the series ended up being unexpectedly cathartic.

Mayte, who went on to adopt a baby girl who shares her birthday, told the crowd that Prince's death on April 21 has been emotional and she has chosen to keep it private. "As you know, Prince is no longer with us. It is extremely difficult for me, and that is why I have chosen not to discuss it."

Prince and Mayte were married on Feb. 14, 1996, in a very private ceremony at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in south Minneapolis.

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