In the social media age, we have certain still-new rituals that surround the death of a beloved artist -- rituals that are somehow already deeply embedded in our culture. With the death of Prince today, millions of people are taking to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms to express their shock and sadness in real time. Brands are doing their thing, too. And whether you seek them out or not, you'll likely encounter -- or have already encountered -- roundups of celebrity tweets and posts paying brief tribute to the musical genius.

A flood of carefully crafted appreciations is imminent -- on websites and blogs, newspaper front pages around the world tomorrow and magazine cover stories in weeks to come. But for now, here's a post by a musician, Justin Timberlake, that beautifully bridges the gap between brevity and depth.