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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Prince Lee 1994-2012 RIP

I never knew how to deal with loss. And I never really experienced loss so close to me.

This afternoon I received news from my ex in New York that my son Prince Lee had a seizure and he had decided to put him to sleep. As a gay man, I probably never would have any children, and Prince is the closest thing to a son to me – which is why he inherited my last name.

Prince has been there for me through my highs and my lows. He was an excellent cuddle buddy. And in my darkest hour when I had alienated the world, he was there to keep me company. In 2007, he was attacked by unleashed dogs and had to be in the emergency room for four days. He did not fully heal til three months later. Despite all the challenges in life, his will to live had been an inspiration for me, and I would like to dedicate this post through photography on our lives spent together.

2005. At SML Universe NYC Backyard

CRW_5294-001

2005. Playing with toys

CRW_7579

2006. Chewing with all the attitude

CRW_7691

2006. Chilling out in hand-knitted sweater

CRW_8733

2006. Scared by the Macro twin lite

I know it's crazy but I bought all my macro gear just to photograph Prince!

Prince

2006. Snout :)

CRW_9121

2006. Menace

Menace

2006. The Last Laugh

the last laugh

2006. ”Coffee”

Coffee

2006. I'm a lion

i

2006. Untitled

CRW_40478

2006. Beauty Queen

CRW_40577_bw

2006. Licking Action

His tongue is quite amazing. :)

Prince Lee / 20060802.40576.BW / SML

2006. Charmed

Charmed / L*a*b / 20070212.10D.41207 / SML

2006. Stop bothering me when I'm sleeping

CRW_40564_bw

2007. Prince Scarlet

Prince Scarlet / 2007 / SML

2007. Recovering at the backyard

Pain in his eyes, but still a will to live – my inspiration, my hero.

20070512_10D_41794

2008. Somewhat recovered, walking on a rainy day

20071223.SD850IS.1564 / SML

2009. Treasure hunting

20090815.10D.51536

2009. Fresh after haircut

Prince / 20090815.10D.51544 / SML

2009. Bored

Prince / 20090815.10D.51548 / SML

2009. Prince

This is the last photograph I took of Prince. I had broken up with my ex by then. It was his dog. But he remains my son. I did say goodbye before I leave New York for Hong Kong. At 18 years old, he was very old and can barely recognize me.

Prince / 20090815.10D.51552 / SML

If seeing my dog die will bring so much emotion, I learned that it must be hard for my parents when I contemplated death a while back. Even through death, Prince was an inspiration for me to live, and for that I am forever grateful and thankful.

The full set of Prince is also available on SML Flickr.

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