A life worth reading about
Why are some obituaries longer than others?
Politicians were “devastated.” The prime minister choked up. The Peace Tower flag is at halfmast.
Tony Clement, a Conservative member of Parliament, said the government should consider a state funeral.
And a passing everyone knew was coming dominated the news. Front pages across the country Thursday featured it prominently. CBC Television devoted three quarters of its nightly news broadcast to it.
Gord Downie, the frontman for the Tragically Hip, died this week at 53 from cancer diagnosed as untreatable more than a year ago. Was he as big as Leonard Cohen? Or Stompin’ Tom Connors? Oscar Peterson? What is in store Joni Mitchell? Or Neil Young? Or Burton Cummings, Sarah McLachlan, Robbie Robertson ...
To be sure, Downie was more than a popular rock star and eclectic performer. He was a quirky poet, a cultural icon, a tireless promoter of social justice, a champion of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples, a campaigner for a better world, a quintessential Canadian ...
It was all that, to be sure, and more, but was it the media too?
Even as an editor and a journalist, I am still often baffled by obituaries.
Every human life is a worthy story. The prominent company founder, the longest-serving mayor, the heroic police officer are not necessarily more interesting than a high school soccer coach, a hospital nurse, a kindergarten teacher or a mechanic, and sometimes less so.
As a reader, I am often disappointed by how little space or time is given to the deaths of my favourite artists, entrepreneurs, scientists or politicians, and baffled by how little others get. For better or worse, the media tends to focus on some while giving short shrift to others.
It is never fair, and there is no actual formula, but the chances of your death making news are increased by several factors:
When you are famous (or infamous).
When you have had an extraordinary affect on readers’ lives, however that might be measured.
When your death is unexpected or untimely. When your death is unusual. John Lennon and Buddy Holly qualified for all of those. George Harrison and Gord Downie only some.
And there are other factors too:
Bigger news that day, like elections or disasters.
The whims of editors and journalists.
This list is not complete, of course. There are all kinds of other factors, certainly in the case of Downie. It’s worth remembering he dominated front pages little more than a year ago, during the Hip’s farewell tour. That only added to this week’s coverage.
As Spectator music critic Graham Rockingham said this week, “he lived his last 18 months with purpose.”
Sometimes, the contributions of an individual are not realized for years after their deaths.
Finally, no obituary, no matter how long, can really encapsulate a human life.
Despite all that was written this week about Downie, to me he still seems an enigma, and his world beyond the stage mostly a mystery.
Paul Berton is editor-in-chief of The Hamilton Spectator and thespec.com. You can reach him at 905-526-3482 or pberton@thespec.com