They Died Too Young

Yesterday, I was completely shocked by the sudden passing of one of my favourite writer/directors, John Hughes. He wasn't yet 60 and he suffered a massive heart attack in Manhatten while taking an early morning walk. The problem with this is that there's so many others out there that have passed away who were far too young; and they didn't need to be famous either, just close friends and family.

In my life, I lost quite a few people I thought were too young to die; who still had a lot to live for. I felt as though their lives had been wasted in some way because they were so young; and yet I had known them at school, through work or just as somebody I had volunteered with somewhere.
And it's not just me who feels this way, I know this. In the world of music, acting and the arts, so many of the bright young stars who die before they reach thirty leave this world before they really shine; and it's such a shame. So many movie stars have died in the past at very young ages. There was James Dean, Natalie Woods, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Heath Ledger and many other stars have died before they had a chance to reach their absolute potential; and it's such a pity about it all. I hate to see them go as well.

I'm not saying that John Hughes was young - after all he had written and directed many films throughout the 80's and 90's and had become a household name - but he had become one of the people who could understand not only the X-Generation but also the Y-Generation as well, and that's something not a lot of writers can get their heads around successfully and with the tact he did.

So, I'm taking this moment to pay my respects to this great man, and to anyone else who has passed on before their time; because I'd like to know what the world would have been like if they had stuck around. What kinds of movies and television shows would have graced our screens - silver and small - to entertain us all? Would 'The Doors' still be playing great music or just producing and encouraging new stuff? Would Jimi Hendrix be giving out massive grants to promising guitarists world wide?

Take the time to sit back and think about how the world would be if these people had survived and lived to see the world instead of leaving us without them in it.