In Memoriam

We’ve lost a few good men this week.

I’ll do Bert Jansch first. A great guitarist and a huge influence on bands as diverse as Led Zeppelin and the Smiths. Bert sadly passed away on Wednesday after a long illness, aged 67.

Then there was Graham Dilley who also died yesterday at the tragically young age of 52. No cricket fan of my generation will ever forget Headingley in the summer of 81 when Dilley and Botham flayed the Aussie attack to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, or the sight of his shock of golden hair as he steamed in to the wicket to send down delivery after delivery. He will also always be fondly remembered for his part in Lillee c Willey b Dilley.

And finally, today, the world lost Steve Jobs. Now I don’t know an awful lot about him, but he is generally considered to have been one of the good guys. Pioneering personal computing, entertainment and communication devices that we now take for granted, he was also a visionary businessman.

Of course any death is a very sad event. But it’s the way celebrities are regarded in death and the way that obituary column inches are allocated that slightly irritates me.

Inevitably the word “legend” is bandied about following the death of any top sportsman. Dilley was a great cricketer – who could fail to enjoy an Ashes victory – but legend? Yes he gave pleasure to a lot of people, but ultimately it’s only sport. Wouldn’t it be better to remember him for the work he did coaching kids after his playing career was over?

The phrase I’ve heard the most about Steve Jobs today was that “he made a difference”. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPod, but is the iPhone going to bring about world peace, is the iPad making a difference to the unemployed of Peckham or the starving of Africa? Lots of people make a difference every day. Let’s celebrate them too.

Consider the outpouring of grief when Amy Winehouse died recently. Yes, a tragic waste of a young life. But really worth the amount of newspaper real estate and radio airplay it was given? We’ll now always remember Amy for her battle against addiction, rather than her undeniable talent.  And don’t get me started on Princess Diana. Again, desperately sad that a young mother should have died in such a horrific way, but did that really justify the national and worldwide hysteria that followed? The virtual deification of Diana created a fairy tale persona, a victim of the establishment, trapped in a loveless marriage. The creation of the Diana legend obscured the charity work she did for sick children and landmine victims. It overlooked her role as a mother, a wife, a lover.

Yes let’s remember the dead. But let’s do it rationally and respectfully, with a sense of perspective. And let’s also celebrate the millions of people who are genuinely making a difference to those whose lives they improve on a daily basis.