In the last few weeks we lost three iconic figures in their own rights: Andy Rooney, Joe Frazier, and now, Heavy D. All three were at different points in their lives; Rooney was in his 90's, Frazier was in his 70's, and Heavy D was 44. They will all be missed for what they contributed to their field. When someone passes away, though, in addition to the accolades that are heaped upon them, you may hear someone say that "they are gone too soon".
That brings up the age old conversation about a purpose full life. The phrase 'gone too soon' infers that there were things that person in question could yet accomplish or that we hadn't seen the full manifestation of their potential. I heard the phrase used in connection with Frazier and Heavy D but not with Rooney and, of course, that made me think. Frazier "gone too soon"? The man had the distinction with being synonymous with the greatest boxing match in history. He was beloved by millions. He is part of one of the most famous couplets ever: Ali/Frazier. What's more is that he had a great, bountiful life after his boxing career. Up until the recent illness that claimed his life, he was healthy and happy. Did he not fulfill his purpose here? Was it not OK for him to make his exit from this world at this time?
Heavy D was much younger but he had made his mark as well. One of the innovators of Hip Hop, he maintained an image that was wholesome in the face of changing trends in the music. He gave us classic songs and had a few acting roles. He moved up through the executive ranks in the industry and was one of the decision makers. He too was happy and would resurface occasionally to do his old songs. That said, Heav's time had come and gone, in terms of being relevant in the public eye. He too had lived a happy, bountiful life up until his death. Was there something more that we were expecting from this icon? Is there some massive void that his passing (outside of friends and family, of course) has left? I don't mean to be rude, just logical.
Which then brings me to Rooney. This is a man that was in broadcasting his entire adult life. His career was storied and prolific. This generation knows him as the curmudgeon at the end of '60 Minutes' every week. But he earned the right to be that guy sitting behind that amazing desk by putting in all that work decades before. Up until he retired this year, he worked at CBS, although, if you asked him, he didn't consider it work because he enjoyed it. But still, Andy Rooney answered emails, regular mail, researched, and read...a lot, while he was working and finally he decided to step away and retire. In less than a year, he was gone. I can only surmise that he didn't get a lot of time to enjoy his retirement. It then begs the question, did this 90+ year old man "go too soon"? Did he have enough time to enjoy the fruits of his many years of labor? Did his family finally have grandpa all to themselves for enough time?
The phrase always gives me pause. None of us know when our time will come and very few of us KNOW what our true purpose on this earth is. Let's not assume that the recently passed were here for the right amount of time or not. In that vein, also live your life so that when your time comes, you can feel that you were here for JUST the right amount of time! RIP, Rooney, Frazier, and Heavy D.
These are my thoughts...what are yours?
