Aging Capriciously

No doubt when you were growing up, one day you yelled at your mom or dad, “But that’s not fair.”  I am equally certain that their retort was “Life’s Not Fair.”  If you and I are normal, we have heard that refrain more times than we care to count.  Nevertheless, being honest, I cannot say that I truly have given up one iota of my belief that life should be fair.  The fact that I know it isn’t fair, that I know it will not be fair today or tomorrow and that I know it never will be fair, does not matter one fraction of all the numbers in the universe.  I want life to be fair, and I am sick of and tired of the instances where life is not fair and life rubs it in my face.

Perhaps, my most detested instances of life not being fair are in relation to people with emerging talent.  Artists, writers, actors and singers who are suddenly stricken down just as they are being recognized for their talent.  These deaths leave me feeling bruised and battered and cursing the injustice of life.  Cursing life for being unfair.  If life was standing in front of me at these times, I would beat it to a pulp.

Here’s a short list of artists, writers, actors, and singers who were on the rise—just becoming widely known or breaking through—when their deaths shocked me as well as many other people in the world.  If I am missing some, it is because my radar is different from yours.  Feel free to suggest some people in the comments section whose untimely passing shook you up.

Artists:

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) – The graffiti-artist-turned-painter was already acclaimed but was only 27 when he died, and many believe he was on the cusp of becoming one of the most dominant figures in contemporary art.

Matthew Wong (1984–2019) — At the age of 35, Wong had an art world ascent that was described as “the stuff of legend”.  He taught himself to paint and was discovered through Facebook.  His energetic landscapes and interior scenes earned him comparisons to Vincent Van Gogh, and his death left a significant mark on the contemporary art scene

Sarah Cunningham (1993–2024) — The rising abstract painter was 31 when she passed away in November 2024.  Known for her emotionally charged, hypnotic canvases, she was represented by London’s renowned Lisson Gallery.

Writers:

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) – Poet and novelist who achieved some recognition in her lifetime but became legendary only after her death at 30.

Randall Jarrell (1914–1965) – Acclaimed poet and critic who was just gaining a broader audience when he died in a mysterious car accident at 51.

John Kennedy Toole (1937–1969) – Author of *A Confederacy of Dunces*, which won the Pulitzer Prize posthumously after his suicide at 31.

Actors:

James Dean (1931–1955) – Had only starred in *Rebel Without a Cause* and two other films when he died at 24, becoming a cultural icon almost overnight.

River Phoenix (1970–1993) – Rising star of films like *Stand by Me* and *My Own Private Idaho*; his sudden death at 23 shocked Hollywood.

Heath Ledger (1979–2008) – Acclaimed actor whose fame skyrocketed after *Brokeback Mountain* and *The Dark Knight*; he died at 28 just as his career peaked.

Singers & Musicians:

Buddy Holly (1936–1959) – Pioneering rock musician who died in a plane crash at 22, influencing The Beatles and countless others.

Jeff Buckley (1966–1997) – Singer-songwriter praised for his ethereal voice; drowned at 30 after releasing only one studio album.

Aaliyah (1979–2001) – R&B star whose music career and budding film career were taking off when she died in a plane crash at 22.

Patricia Burda Janečková (1998 – 2023) — Slovak coloratura soprano.  At the age of 12, she was the winner of the Czech–Slovak television.  She was just reaching stardom in the opera world.

I have not tried to give an exhaustive list of the numerous people I have admired who “bit the dust” well before their time.  If I say, “well before they should have”, it begs the question of when should they have passed.  For that matter when should anyone of us pass?  Well, I can answer that question for myself.  I will be 79 in less than a week and I am now older than the average age that American males live to.  If I should die before I wake (an old line from my Catholic nightly prayer), I don’t think anyone will say, “Well, why do the good always die young?”  Here I might substitute the word talented for the word “good.”  Why do so many talented people seem to die young.  This seems particularly true with writers and singers.

Getting back to where I fit in with all this, first of all, I am not young and secondly, I am not on the cusp of stardom.  As near as I can tell, I reached my peak many years ago.  Everest was the peak I dreamed of reaching, at least metaphorically.  In life, my ultimate peak has been at least two mountains shy of the top of Mt. Everest.  I lived in Rhode Island a total of 18 years.  Jerimoth Hill in Foster, R.I. was the highest point with an elevation of 812 feet.  I never made it to the top of that hill.  Since living in Arizona, I have run several trails up our local mountains that are at about 1800 feet high.  Still speaking metaphorically, I am about 27,000 feet shy of  Everest’s peak.

Perhaps, because I can’t mourn my own passing (though I am not on the brink of international acclaim), I feel acutely sensitive to seeing others die just as they are about to summit Everest.  It is those times when I curse life and the unfairness of it all.  To take away such beauty, talent and joy from others is the ultimate unfairness.  Although he was already at his peak in terms of stardom, Dmitri Aleksandrovich Hvorostovsky was a Russian operatic baritone who died at the age of 55.  With Pavarotti dead and Placido Domingo mostly retired, how I enjoyed watching Dmitri sing the great tenor arias as well as songs like Moscow Nights.  How can you listen to someone like Dmitri and hate Russians?  Musicians are perhaps the best ambassadors for peace in the world.  I leave you with a noted performance by Dimitri.

https://youtu.be/r3-z_KKsYhA?si=GOt0JfufP9wPAs5p