Following Prince’s death in April, Mariah Carey paid tribute to her longtime friend by performing an emotional rendition of “One Sweet Day” during a show in Paris. Now, the 46-year-old singer is sharing what the late Purple One meant to her, explaining that he was her inspiration for resisting becoming a cog in the major record label machine. “Prince was one of the best people I’ve met,” she told Complex during a recent interview for the magazine’s August/September cover story.