Mayte Garcia thinks it’s OK to celebrate the anniversary of Prince’s death. In fact, his first ex-wife is presenting a Glam Slam Benefit in Hollywood on April 21.

“Now that it’s been 10 years,” she said this month, “it’s a good time and celebrate and listen to his music and smile and share love.”

She likened April to October when Amiir, her son with Prince, was born and died of Pfeiffer syndrome in 1996.

“It’s a good month and it’s a bad month,” she said. “April has turned into that, too.”

For her Purple party, Garcia will have entertainment by Sheila E., St. Paul Peterson & Minneapolis Funk All Stars and Taylor Dayne as well as a group of young student musicians.

Garcia, who used to dance with the New Power Generation, will not be performing, just hosting, she said.

The event will be held on the rooftop of the W Hollywood hotel. There is room for about 300 people, Garcia said. Tickets start at $163.

Meanwhile, Paisley Park, Prince’s complex in Chanhassen, will present separate day and night programs on April 21, with a candle lighting and a concert film, respectively.

Garcia, 52, views her event as a continuation of Prince’s philanthropy she calls Live 4 Love Charities.

“It’s something he did,” she said via Zoom. “Not all the people know about it. I’d see him write checks all the time.

“Making sure that his name and all the good he’s done, it’s my job to continue that,” she said.

Garcia operates the nonprofits Live for Dance and Live for Music “to give children some kind of hope.” She also operates a nonprofit animal rescue organization.

Regardless of whether she’s in the Twin Cities for Prince Celebration 2026 in June, she will continue her tradition on Prince’s birthday on June 7.

“I always light a candle. I think about him. I think about our son. It makes me smile to know that they’re together,” she said. “A couple tears will be shed but always, it’s a loss. We miss him physically, but his spirit and his music is there so I’m just going to try to overpower it with that.”

A movie of Garcia’s 2017 memoir, “The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince,” is in development.

“I just had a meeting with the writer. The production company wanted to go a different route,” she said. “They have to take the entire book and put it in 120 pages. Now they’re focusing on flashbacking.

“I’m hoping whoever plays me, it’s not about her look, but her acting ability. It’s a deep story. Prince is in there but it’s more about my story. I’m liking it.”

While raising her 14-year-old daughter in Las Vegas, Garcia tries to stay plugged into the Prince world.

She was interviewed by Oscar-winning Ezra Edelman for the authorized Netflix documentary that was quashed by the estate in late 2024.

“When I was interviewed, he kept asking me certain things that I had no knowledge of,” she said. “I’m not going to start assuming things because I wasn’t there.”

Even when asked about things she experienced, Garcia said it’s difficult to try to explain what it was like in Prince’s universe.

“Someone else said it’s if you go to the moon and you’re an astronaut, you can’t really talk about it,” she said. “That’s kind of like us when we talk about working with Prince and being in that sphere. You can talk about it, but people don’t get it. You have to be in it to understand it.”

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