fountainhall
April 24th, 2016, 00:25
Death comes to us all, the good, bad, famous or not. Yet some of the media are saying that with 2016 still having two thirds of its progress to make, it seems we are reeling at the shock of too many celebrity deaths, more than a few of them relatively early. David Bowie, Keith Emerson, Natalie Cole, Glenn Frey, Sir George Martin and Prince are just a few, as are some wonderful British actors including Brian Bedford, Frank Finlay and Alan Rickman. Has anyone on the stage or in film matched the richness of Rickman's glorious voice, arguably the finest since Sir John Gielgud?
Speculation over the seemingly lonely death of Prince in a lift is now rife following the autopsy report that neither foul play nor suicide were involved. Clearly he seems to have been ill for some time, given the cancellation and then reinstatement a week later of his Atlanta concerts, the sudden cancellation of St.Louis concerts and the diversion of his private jet en route home from Atlanta - with the pilot making a desperately rapid descent from 45,000 feet in just 17 minutes even though they were only 48 minutes away from Minneapolis airport. Then appearing outside his home soon after his return and telling the crowd "Wait a few days before you waste any prayers!" At the earlier of the two Atlanta concerts, Variety reports at one point he became "overwhelmed with emotion" and had to leave the stage for a short break.
Then there is the fact that for his final concerts gone were the lavish sets, his band, back-up singers and pyrotechnics. He merely sang solo at the piano. Many years ago The Guardian reported that he had suffered major hip problems for years but as a devout Jehovah's Witness he refused hip replacement surgery. Hip replacement is a frequent requirement for those who dance extensively in their career - and is common for former ballet dancers for example. Prince was one of the most active performers on stage, often using high heels which could exacerbate hip problems. Some media reports say he did have surgery last year but had been consuming far too many highly addictive Percocet pain killers and this may have caused an accidental overdose which forced that flight to divert. And were that the case, then a second overdose or reaction to continuing use of Percocet may be a reason for his death at 57. Once the toxicology reports are made public in a few weeks, we will know.
Whatever was ailing him and however he died, the world has lost another extraordinary and unique talent at too early an age.
Speculation over the seemingly lonely death of Prince in a lift is now rife following the autopsy report that neither foul play nor suicide were involved. Clearly he seems to have been ill for some time, given the cancellation and then reinstatement a week later of his Atlanta concerts, the sudden cancellation of St.Louis concerts and the diversion of his private jet en route home from Atlanta - with the pilot making a desperately rapid descent from 45,000 feet in just 17 minutes even though they were only 48 minutes away from Minneapolis airport. Then appearing outside his home soon after his return and telling the crowd "Wait a few days before you waste any prayers!" At the earlier of the two Atlanta concerts, Variety reports at one point he became "overwhelmed with emotion" and had to leave the stage for a short break.
Then there is the fact that for his final concerts gone were the lavish sets, his band, back-up singers and pyrotechnics. He merely sang solo at the piano. Many years ago The Guardian reported that he had suffered major hip problems for years but as a devout Jehovah's Witness he refused hip replacement surgery. Hip replacement is a frequent requirement for those who dance extensively in their career - and is common for former ballet dancers for example. Prince was one of the most active performers on stage, often using high heels which could exacerbate hip problems. Some media reports say he did have surgery last year but had been consuming far too many highly addictive Percocet pain killers and this may have caused an accidental overdose which forced that flight to divert. And were that the case, then a second overdose or reaction to continuing use of Percocet may be a reason for his death at 57. Once the toxicology reports are made public in a few weeks, we will know.
Whatever was ailing him and however he died, the world has lost another extraordinary and unique talent at too early an age.