The meaning of obituaries

You've probably heard of the morgue. In journalistic jargon, it's the repository of texts and visual material kept for routine reference or until the opportunity to publish them arises. That moment becomes evident when a person sufficiently recognized in their field passes away.

Anyone can understand it. The life of an editor-in-chief is simplified if they have solutions at their disposal for any emergency. On more than one occasion, I've been asked for an advance obituary... which makes me unhappy. I was asked for an obituary for Freddie Mercury , who was known to be seriously ill. I resisted, and, bam, the next day it was announced that the Queen frontman had died . Bosses have a nose for these things.

By temperament, one always tends to expect the best, even when it comes to artists who aren't your favorites. So I resist writing advance obituaries. And they're required all too often. There's no need to be a bird of ill omen: biology warns us that many are about to knock on heaven's door.

Bob Dylan himself (84 years old, the same age as Eric Burdon and Dionne Warwick). Just below him are Eddy Mitchell, Carole King, Paul Simon, and Teddy Bautista . There's a strong representation of 81-year-old stars: Jimmy Page, Joni Mitchell, Mick Jagger , Keith Richards, Roger Waters, John Fogerty, Miguel Ríos , and Steve Miller. Among the new members of the Octogenarian Club are Ritchie Blackmore and, pay attention, Pete Townshend, author of that daring promise: "I hope to die before I get old."

Let it be known that this is speculation. I imagine the great figures enjoy the best gerontological care money can buy. On the other side of the scale, there's the suspicion that, in times not so long ago, these beloved birds lived on the edge. Although here it's worth considering the suspicion that musicians are made of special stuff, exemplified by the survival capacity of someone like Keith Richards , who for decades was labeled "the next guy to fall."

I wouldn't want to be accused of morbidity. I'm curious about theories like those that explain that drummers, despite the wear and tear required by their work, demonstrate a remarkable capacity for endurance, thanks to the development of muscle memory to perform their job. And I defend the need for obituaries: in a world that devours its history without chewing, it's urgent to bid a loving farewell to all those who gave us pleasure.

Besides, they serve as a gratuitous entertainment, comparing our existence with that of the meteorites that illuminated us. The list of septuagenarians includes former kamikazes like Elton John, Joaquín Sabina , Charly García, and Bob Weir, but there are also plenty of exemplary performers, such as Peter Gabriel, Sting, Bruce Springsteen , Steve Winwood, Bryan Ferry, Kiko Veneno , or, if you ask me, Neil Young.

In the pact many of us signed with rock, there was a vague assurance that that music offered prolonged youth. It's best not to believe this: other genres also facilitate long careers. There's bluesman Buddy Guy (88 years old), saxophonist Sonny Rollins (94), cowboy Willie Nelson (92). And the memory of sonero Compay Segundo , who left us at 95.