Justin Timberlake Pens Heartfelt Tribute to His "Idol" Prince

After the news broke earlier today that legendary musician Prince had passed away, dozens of celebrities took to social media to pay tribute to the late star. But one of the most poignant posts? Justin Timberlake's touching tribute to the late icon, in which he called him a "once in forever artist."

"It was Raspberry Beret. I was 4 years old. Yes, 4. I remember that I instantly loved it. 'Mommy, who is that singing?' Seems weird but it's true," Timberlake wrote alongside a a photo of the pop star. "More than a 'once in a lifetime' artist... Just a ONCE IN FOREVER ARTIST. I'm still in shock as I write this and I feel this overwhelming grief. But, we should all turn away from that and HONOR this musician that changed all of our lives, our perspectives, our feeling, our whole being. From another planet? Probably. Royalty, for sure. Us worthy..? Laughable."

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But the emotional words didn't end there: "They say don't meet your idols... That they let you down. But, some of my greatest, funniest (yes, he was hilarious), and most prolific encounters and conversations about music came from the moments that I spent with him. It would be silly to say that he has inspired our music... It's beyond that. He's somewhere within every song I've ever written," the triple threat continued. "I am sad, but I will smile when I think of every second that I had the fortune of being in his company. We have lost our greatest living musician. But his music will never die. Prince, NOTHING COMPARES... #RIPPrince."

One thing's certain: Prince will be greatly missed.