It’s comforting but unsettling to find obituaries written online the moment we hear the news of someone significant passing away. A writer takes the time in advance to cast warm light on a life span and distill the essence of character. This morning I noticed a photo of younger David Bowie in the side panel of imgur and could draw the quick conclusion he was in the news for more than just his latest record, “Blackstar.” Just as fast as I could load reddit.com/r/music I could see a major thread running – I knew he must have died.

I didn’t know about his prolonged illness, which he concealed well with his robust ambition, but I’ve been in paralysis for years how I could sum up my admiration for him. I remember being in this state of mind about ten years ago when he had slipped back from the spotlight. Regardless, he still came out with more records I grew to love. Now I haven’t even listened through Blackstar, just released last Friday, but I was already feeling I was not yet ready to process and needed to take it slow. This one seems avant garde and challenging. In immediate hindsight it’s a well-crafted reflection and closure to his own legacy. There’s a lot of legacy to catch up with now.