Carmen Electra remembers her mentor Prince

Carmen Electra got the name Carmen Electra thanks to Prince, and now the TV personality is mourning the loss of her mentor, the man she says she will always love.

“What a blessing it is to be one of the chosen ones who had the chance to work so closely with him,” she told Page Six. “He gave me my name, he believed in me and he has inspired an entire generation. I will always love him.”

Born Tara Leigh Patrick, the bombshell was convinced to adopt her now-famous stage name in the ’90s as a newbie on Prince’s record label. “He said, ‘You’re not Tara, you’re Carmen, and I said, ‘OK, I can get into this,'” Electra, 44, has previously shared.

On Thursday, she also told us, “I was so shocked and heartbroken to hear about the loss of my mentor, Prince. The world has lost a truly incredible spirit and musical genius … ‘Sometimes it Snows in April.'”

Prince also had a romantic relationship with Electra, one of the icon’s many lovers.

The legendary singer, songwriter and actor was found dead at his Minnesota estate on Thursday morning. A cause of death has not yet been released.

The “Purple Rain” singer was 57.