In history thousands of well known people have died much sooner than their 'Three Score Years and ten'. There are long lists online.
Apart from Colin who was only 61, here are a couple of others that I missed when they died.
The first was Richard Beckinsale. The actor who starred alongside Ronnie Barker in the comedy Porridge and at the same time was in Rising Damp with Leonard Rossiter and Don Warrington who of course is still going strong in Death in Paradise.
He died in 1979 aged just 31.
Paul Hunter, who was a talented snooker player he died in 2006 aged just 27. He would have won more titles for sure.
And what other incredible music would Freddie Mercury (45) and Amy Winehouse (27) have gone on to give us if they were still around.
People often say they know where they were when they heard that famous people died (JFK and John Lennon are often mentioned) but the only person I can say that about is Princess Diana in 1997. I came downstairs to make a cuppa early on the Sunday morning and youngest daughter had the TV on - that was when there were childrens programmes on early mornings at weekends. She said " Princess Diana has died" and I said "are you sure - she's much too young, maybe you mean Princess Alice or one of the others". Of course I soon found YD was right and then we had the weeks and weeks of news and mourning which all got a bit too much.
Back Soon
Makes you realise you have to value every moment.
ReplyDeleteAnne in Lancs
Yes we must.
DeleteWhen I was a child I had twenty cousins - today I am going to the funeral of cousin Peter. He was in his 80s. The first cousin to die was Valerie, I think she was 11 when she was knocked down and killed on her way to school. That was well over 60 years ago. Life is precious. The pain of bereavement never goes away. Love remains.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awful shock for your family to lose an 11 year old. So sad
DeleteGather ye rosebuds while ye may... that line floated into my head. It's when one's own 'three score years and ten' looms on the horizon that it starts to feel a bit real...
ReplyDeleteAnd even more real once the 70 number has passed
DeleteWhen I was eleven, a young friend of mine died, then later on, two of my friends never saw their 55th birthdays.
ReplyDeleteOf course, looking back at family trees, people dying "far too soon" was more common than today, and infant mortality was off the scale by comparison.
So many old memorials for small children in the churches I've visited
DeleteI remember the shock when Richard Beckinsale died, he seemed such a good guy. I was wallpapering a wall in my first shop when the news came on the radio that Princess Diana had died.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how prepared you are for someone's death, it always feels too soon. Grief is just love with nowhere to go, squeezing your heart until it seems unbearable. 💔
Seems somehow so much worse when talent is lost and we miss what they might have done later
DeleteWell written TQ, and lovely comments from others x
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
I guess we all miss someone either known personally or not
DeleteI was at a funeral just last week for a family friend who died at the age of 59. We've felt sad all week thinking about him. Another friend's Mom just died this week and the Mom was 99. A long, busy life. So death has been on my mind and your post fit my mood.
ReplyDeleteLiving each day to the fullest is important. Nobody knows what is in store for tomorrow. Maybe it is good we do not know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteMissing loved ones never totally goes away. The memories are sweet, but the loss still hurts.
I was at a journalism conference when Diana died. As you can imagine, there was a mad rush for the exits!
ReplyDeleteThere is a lovely church in Newton, just south west of Bury, if you haven’t been there. Some wonderful Flemish stained glass. Well worth the trip but it is locked so you need to collect the key.
ReplyDeleteIn the graveyard there is a small grave and the headstone has the babies name and the dates that were something like this 13th January 1978-10th January 1978.
My teenage daughter came in and woke me up saying Princess Diana had died. She had a TV in her room. My own personal ones are my Mum aged just 47 and her Dad also died at the same age (although I didn't know him), as you can imagine I hated being 47. Xx
ReplyDeleteI find it bitter-sweet to watch old episodes of Porridge. Richard Beckinsdale really was taken far too young.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing about Princess Diana's death on the radio and rushing upstairs to tell my husband, who didn't believe me. We were at an event that morning and everyone was subdued and wandering around in a state of shock. It was an extraordinary moment in time.
So many young people stars and other wise are dying. I find that I am shocked most days of the week lately.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I remember when JFK died - 4th grade and I was in class and all the teachers were crying. They sent us outside for recess and us kids were scared. Then in 1968 I was watching the news about it was close to midnight Bobby Kennedy had won the California primary and then he was shot. I was in the 8th grade and it was very traumatic. I ran to wake my parents up and it was awful.
ReplyDeleteWhile they both weren't in their twenties, RFK was only 42. His brother, was 46.
We can only wonder how much they would have done if their lives were not cut short.So sad.
On my tomb I want to have inscribed "Heureux qui comme Ulysse a fait une bonne voyage" "Happy is he who like Ulysses has made a good voyage." I have survived so well unlike the those in the flower of their youth who through war, cancer, accidents have been cut off before achieving their potential.
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