Pop music icon Prince died, aged 57, on 21 April at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota, his publicist confirmed to the Associated Press. As tributes for the musician appeared across social media, one video showing a Georgia high-school teacher grieving at his desk went viral, racking up more than 20,000 retweets in the first two hours after it was posted.

The teacher mourning the loss of the music legend was Matthew Patterson of Benjamin Banneker High School in College Park. His reaction was captured by a student. The video shows Princes Purple Rain streaming on a classroom projector screen before Patterson, visibly upset, removes his glasses and placing his head in his hands.

Patterson is active on Twitter himself, regularly tweeting about his class. After Princes death, he tweeted: RIP Prince... Thank you for enriching my life. My life has been significantly changed because of your music.

News emerged of the death of the 57-year-old artist on 21 April after police said that they were investigating a death at his compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, with the Carver County Sheriffs Department saying that deputies were on the scene.