Upon hearing news of an icon from her era passing on, my mother used to reflect and say out loud to no one in particular, “oh, so-and-so died..”; it never registered much then. Now I understand this with perfect clarity: she recognized her own mortality.
Most recently, Charlie Watts really hit that home for me. As did Keith Emerson. And David Bowie. Loretta Lynn last month. And of course, Neil Peart in 2020.
And now Chris McVie. Wow.
And so it begins in earnest, I’m afraid, for those icons of my era who are passing not from Moon/Bonham/Entwistle excess, but older age. (I’m not quite two decades behind 79).
I was never the biggest Fleetwood Mac fan, but her voice and compositions were terrific. RIP.
Keep going Pete, Roger, Mick, Keith. Geddy, Alex, Paul, Jimmy, Ian…and yes, you, too John Lydon.