Stevie Wonder's Moving Words About Prince Show Just How Iconic The Artist Was

The world lost an icon when Prince died, and Stevie Wonder lost a friend.

Wonder joined Anderson Cooper for an interview on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" Thursday and discussed the shock of losing his fellow musician and dear friend.

"It's a heartbreak and I was shocked. I didn't believe it, as I find it so hard to believe," he said. "You know, in this journey of music, we as artists that create the reflection of society and reflect, really the people that really want to see a better world, a better people, a unity of people, all those things -- as did his music do and will continue to do for those of us who will continue to listen to it. It's a heartbreak to lose a member of that army of love."

Prince has said that Wonder was an inspiration to him, and Wonder felt the same about Prince, who had a penchant for blending all styles and genres of music.

"Most of all, he brought all the various cultures together. He could play classical music if he wanted to. He could play jazz if he wanted to. He could play country if he wanted to. He played rock, you know, he played blues. He played pop. He played everything. And [he was] very cognizant of what his responsibility was as a musician and a human being."

Although it is a tremendous loss for him, Wonder hopes everyone lauds Prince for his talent and his mission.

"I know that the Almighty God has far greater things for him to do eternally," he said. "I just hope that we celebrate his music and celebrate his purpose that he fulfilled."

Prince died Thursday morning at his Paisley Park residence outside of Minneapolis. He was 57 years old. No cause of death has yet been confirmed.