Right now Amy Winehouse has a song at number 24 on the iTunes music chart. My prediction is that her songs will probably do nothing but get more and more popular in the upcoming months following the loss of Winehouse last weekend. It is a known fact that when someone famous dies "before their time" they somehow rise in fame with literally zero effort (no pun intended). Look at how many more kids these days listen to Michael Jackson. My little brother, who just turned 14, would have no idea who Michael Jackson was. Well, I guess I can take that back because he had definitely heard me playing Jackson's tunes in my car before his death, but none the less, all of my little brother's friends went through their Michael Jackson phase after his death. They purchased his records, looked up his Youtube videos and are now extremely familiar with Jackson's material. Now, don't get me wrong, in no way am I attempting to belittle the death of Jackson, Winehouse, or anyone else for that matter, but it is a known fact that before her death, Winehouse was thought of as a talented artist, but was known more for her heroine addiction and obscure personality. Jackson was known to be a talented genius (and he damn sure was), but let's be honest, we all heard more child molestation jokes than we did his hits on the radio during the months leading up to his death. I also don't want it to be misunderstood that Winehouse is anywhere close to the genius that Jackson is, she is simply the most recent example and therefore my motivation for writing this blog. My point is that death is the best thing that can happen to one's career in any field, especially if the individual dies young, which raises the question of "why?".
Looking back at history, musical artists that die young are some of the most well known and most respected artists of all time. Look at Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Janis Joplin, Kurt Kobain, Keith Moon and John Bonham. All died before their time but they are now some of the most influential figures of all time. Why? Why does dying help your career so much?
The first way dying helps is because it allows media (magazines, movies, television, news of any sort) to build you up to be an icon by focusing ONLY on the positive things. The deceased obviously has no more say so in the matter and can no longer "tamper" their image. Death allows the mass media to focus SOLELY on the positive things the deceased has done in their lifetime, and allows only these achievements to be recognized. Drug addiction, child molestation, suicide, gang wars, and alcohol addiction are looked past and the public begins to focus on what these people were able to create and achieve in their lifetime.
The second way dying can help is because it allows the artist to go out in their prime. Lennon died being (debatably) the smartest Beatle without ever creating a bad album. John Bonham died when Led Zeppelin was in their prime, and therefore is considered the best drummer of all time. Tupac and Biggie died when gangsta rap was in it's prime and are therefore thought of as the two greatest rappers of all time. Jimi Hendrix died at 27 and is therefore thought of as the best guitarist of all time. I would make the argument that they went out in their prime so death builds them up as individuals, but I would also make the argument that the deaths cause people to build up their institutions more. Because John Lennon died early, his later albums are considered better because death causes people to analyze them more, as well as the Beatles' albums. Because Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac died young, it caused gangsta rap to rise in popularity in the early 90s. Because John Bonham died it made Led Zeppelin seen as a better and more "legendary" band. Because Kurt Kobain killed himself, it allowed Nirvana to stand as one of the greatest bands of all time (even though they only released 3 studio albums). Nirvana became a symbol for the misunderstood and confused. Because Jimi Hendrix died when he was 27, he is considered one of the best guitarists of all time. Death allows people to go out in their prime before they put out any material that is not as good, and therefore causes them to fizzle out or fade away. Death allows these individuals to go out with a boom while they are on top and end their legacy has a better chance of living on. When you go out on top, you are going to do nothing but become some sort of legend and rise even higher.
With these things being said, I am not trying to take away from the fact that these deaths are extremely unfortunate, and tragic events. At the same time, I think they play into the fact that everything happens for a reason. Jimi Hendrix could have lived to be 70 but I would make the argument that if he had, he would not be as well known as he is today because somehwere along the way he would have made a "bad" album. Same with Nirvana, Tupac, Amy Winehouse and the others listed above. This is not to say that they would not still be considered great, but probably not AS great and as legendary. We are lucky to be blessed with the music of these fallen individuals. Even though they are gone their music, but more importantly their legend, will live on forever. And I bet this legend would not be as well known had they not died early.
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