Departed Artists: Only Appreciated After Death

It seems like every time we turn around, another entertainer dies. Whether it is from natural causes, freak accidents, or drug overdoses, we often mourn the losses by revisiting the art of these departed artists. It is true that artists are never fully appreciated until after their deaths.

Another One Bites the Dust

Many iconic entertainers have died over the last few years. It wasn’t until the recent death of The Cranberries lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan, that I realized how big of an impact an artist’s death really holds. I was never a huge fan of The Cranberries, yet I felt compelled to listen to their music after I heard about her death. And I realized that I experienced this with a lot of artists that have passed on in the last several years.

Got My Mind Set On You

After an artist departs this life, people suddenly have a new appreciation for their work. Even artists that have been all but forgotten become relevant again in death. Iconic artists, like Michael Jackson and David Bowie, often see huge resurgences in popularity as their art affected entire generations of fans. And even in cases of lesser-known artists like O’Riordan, their deaths often bring attention to their work that it never got while they were alive.

Why do we suddenly pay attention to the work of these departed artists? I think there are a couple of reasons.

As we are constantly bombarded with news, death always draws our attention. When we hear about the death of a beloved artist, I believe that a wave of nostalgia strikes us all. Whether it is an artist that has remained relevant up until their death or one that had faded into relative obscurity, we all have the desire to go back and revisit their music.

I think an artist’s death reminds us of our own mortality. None of us want people to forget after we are gone. I think we honor the memory of artists in honoring their work after their death. In a way, it brings meaning to their life. It promotes their legacy. An artist can touch the lives of others long after they are gone.

Remember the Time

Time passes and we soon forget the passing of most artists. Occasionally, there are those that we celebrate their legacies for the first few anniversaries of their passing. But eventually, they all fade back into the music that is the background of all of our lives.

There are really two things that I think we should all remember. Cherish the living artists now. Appreciate their art and how it moves you and inspires you. Second, we should still take time to honor those that have left us. Appreciate the art of those departed artists and share it with those who were not alive to appreciate it.

Teaser: Come back next time when we’ll talk about some things from our childhood.