The death of a loved one is never easy, neither is the passing of one admired so greatly as a favorite artists. Unfortunately The celebrity deaths has become a sad “normal” as of late, with what seems to be daily headlines announcing the passing of actors to wrestlers to even politicians. But the World of Music has taken an exceptionally hard blow, with many legends and other inspirational artists leaving us, the most recent being Prince who passed away at his home at the young age of 57.
Below is a partial, heartbreaking list of those whom we’ve had to say goodbye to in the first four months of 2016:
David Bowie
René Angélil (Celine Dion’s manager, producer & husband)
The Eagle’s Glenn Frey
Jefferson Airplane’s Signe Toly Anderson and Paul Katner (passed days apart)
Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White
Denise Matthews (best known for her collaborations with Prince)
Sonny James
Lennie Baker
Joey Feek
Sir George Martin (often referred to as the “Fifth” Beatle)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s Keith Emerson
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg
Merle Haggard
Dennis Davis (drummer for Bowie and Roy Ayers)
Jimmie Van Zant
And others…..
Each has had their own personal impact on their genre of music, and in their passing, we’ve lost whatever further influence they could have had. They were the groundbreakers, and in a time when music is missing the “originality & character” that these artists produced (some for decades), it deepens our loss for such visionaries. We can’t help but wonder what happens next? Will there ever be another Bowie or Prince? Another classic rock group as The Eagles? Another pioneering alt-hip-hop group like A Tribe Called Quest? Another outlaw to follow in the footsteps of Merle? Very doubtful.
In the ammased outpouring over Prince’s death, country singer Ray Scott summarized it best: “Tragically we are losing the greats in every genre at a record pace lately. Recognize and celebrate the artists, music and magic that brought you to where you are now in your life, and realize, quite possibly, it’ll never be this good again.”