01.14.2016 09:29 AM

Oh, (un)timely death

David Bowie, George Jonas, Alan Rickman, Brian Bedford, Robert Coates, David Margulies, John Harvard, Robert Stigwood. And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head – the ones who have dies already in 2016. 

People are saying this year is unusual, but it probably isn’t. 

My Dad was a doctor. He often told us that mortality spikes at, and just after, the holidays. There were all kinds of reasons for that, he said, and all demographic groups were represented in it, except children. 

“We think they hold on for their families,” he said. “And once the holiday passes, they let go.”

WSJ here, others here and here.

7 Comments

  1. PJ says:

    Sadly, Rene Angelil as well…..

  2. Mapsonburt says:

    Interesting. He was probably right. You’d have had a chance to se your closest families and make peace with it. Just listening to the radio and Celine ‘s hubby just died too.

  3. MonteCristo says:

    Rene Angelil (Celine Dion’s husband) just passed away as well.

    Its a bad year.

  4. Lynn says:

    Yes, I have heard that too and it makes perfect sense. Another thing I learned about the holiday season and death; lots of pets are put down around the holidays making it a hard time of year for people in the veterinary world. It is the busiest time of year for these procedures in many practices.

    It seems that old or ill pets are often kept going until the kids come home from uni or to visit for the holidays and the family takes Fluffy or Rover in for the last visit. Makes a great deal of sense; the whole family dealing with the end of life for a beloved family member, but very hard on staff seeing so much death at the holiday season.

  5. nobonus4nonis says:

    cheap celebrity grief as thousands of brown children drown in the med while rich fucks lounge on their paid for by oil yachts in marinas that ring the entire refugee death zone. i’ve never heard of a single one of these assholes put down their drinks long enough to help or save anyone . all that blood might dirty up the decks. pathetic.

    • aggo says:

      Don’t forget climate change, nobonus4nonis.

      I remember that beautiful poem you wrote before the holidays. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share it with everyone again.

      “who will cry for the little ones staring at the sky
      kicking at the ashes and asking why
      mommy daddy there’s poison in the clouds
      why are you crying, are you not proud?”

  6. aggo says:

    Oh god yes, all these people dying in their 70’s and 80’s, how unusual!

    (although I do admit there are a large number of deaths of notable people lately)

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