How could this happen?

Details are still scarce, but the legend that was Prince Rogers Nelson is dead. Many of you are probably saying, "He was just here!" and "Why didn't I go to that show?!" after Prince did a couple of shows just last month at the Paramount and Oracle Arena, and dropped into Nopa and a few local nightspots while he was here. All we know is that between then and now he fell ill, and his plane had to make an emergency landing last week so he could be rushed to a hospital in Illinois for apparent flu-like symptoms. He still managed to resume partying a day later, but perhaps he shouldn't have.

Much like the equally sudden and untimely death of Michael Jackson seven years ago, and the recent death of David Bowie in January, the equally influential but wholly unique icon's passing is sure to bring a tidal wave of grief on social media for days to come, many nightly news retrospectives, and many, many local tributes, drag and otherwise, in the coming weeks.

Update: Here are some tribute parties happening already tonight, Thursday, April 21.

For now, I bring you a selection of local reaction as it stands, including from locals MC Hammer, W. Kamau Bell, and Margaret Cho, in the first hour of this news sinking in, beginning with a perfectly reasonable suggestion from SFist's own Eve Batey.

Update 2: They listened, and City Hall will be lit purple tonight, starting at 8 p.m.

And Vulture suggests watching this full, hour-and-seven-minute concert video of Prince in 1982, saying, "It'll help."

And of course there's his iconic 2007 Super Bowl Halftime Show, performing in the rain, with a do-rag on his head, which has to be watched on YouTube.