Celebrity Deaths are coming...hard

 There’s this weird gut-punch feeling that hits every time we lose a celebrity these days—and I think it’s time we call it what it is: a generational phenomenon. Boomers and Gen X grew up in the first true era of “celebrity culture.” We weren’t just aware of stars—we worshipped them. Musicians, actors, TV personalities—they weren’t just entertainers, they were fixtures in our lives. Pop charts, glossy magazines, award shows, sitcoms on three channels—we consumed fame like a religion.

Now, those same icons are in their mid-70s and beyond. And when one of them dies, it feels like the floor drops out. But the truth is, it’s not that more people are dying now—it’s that we know more people. We’ve been swimming in this soup of pop culture for decades, and thanks to the internet, every death is instant, headline-worthy, and emotionally weaponized.

Just this past week alone we lost Ozzy Osbourne, dead at 76, just days after his final, visibly frail performance with Black Sabbath. Then Hulk Hogan, 71, after years of surgeries and declining health. Chuck Mangione, the smooth jazz legend, gone at 84. And Roy Thomas Baker, the iconic producer of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, dead at 78. That’s four heavy hitters in a matter of days.

We shouldn’t be shocked anymore. If anything, we should brace ourselves. The sheer volume of aging “celebrities” out there means this is going to happen a lot. Weekly. Maybe even daily. That’s not grim—it’s just reality. And it’s ours to navigate.

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20 major celebrities who could plausibly pass in the next year due to age or health:

1. Clint Eastwood (b. 1930, age 94)

2. Robert Redford (b. 1936, age 89)

3. Jack Nicholson (b. 1937, age 87)

4. Jane Fonda (b. 1937, age 87)

5. Paul Simon (b. 1941, age 83)

6. Paul McCartney (b. 1942, age 82)

7. Barbara Streisand (b. 1942, age 82)

8. Diana Ross (b. 1944, age 80)

9. Mick Jagger (b. 1943, age 81)

10. Al Pacino (b. 1940, age 85)

11. Robert Duvall (b. 1931, age 93)

12. Tina Louise (last surviving Gilligan’s Island cast member, b. 1934, age 91)

13. Bruce Springsteen (b. 1949, age 75)

14. Ringo Starr (b. 1940, age 84)

15. Lily Tomlin (b. 1939, age 85)

16. Sophia Loren (b. 1934, age 90)

17. Dolly Parton (b. 1946, age 79)

18. Keith Richards (b. 1943, age 81—somehow still standing)

19. William Shatner (b. 1931, age 93)

20. Tom Jones (b. 1940, age 84)

Brace for impact—because our cultural memory is about to shrink, name by name, right in front of us.

Spotify Isn't the Villain You Want It To Be

Stop Blaming Spotify for Your Low Income — The Swedish Solution Actually Pays Better Than Radio Ever Did

Here’s the dirty little secret nobody’s shouting loud enough: while everyone’s busy griping about Spotify’s “pennies,” this Swedish “solution to piracy” is quietly putting more money in songwriters’ pockets than Top 40 radio ever managed.

Spotify didn’t invent streaming just to be nice. It fixed the piracy mess by giving us a legal platform where creators actually get paid. And here’s the kicker — it pays better for songwriters than terrestrial radio ever did.

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Radio’s Broken Model

Radio royalties come through performance rights organizations like ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. But forget the myth of a fixed 6 cents per spin — the real number is much lower after all the splits and variables:

• Real payout? $0.001 to $0.01 per spin, depending on market size, time of day, and licensing deals.

• So a hit song getting 30,000 spins a month nets about $300 to $3,000 for the songwriter.

• Those spins reach roughly 60 million listener impressions (not necessarily unique listeners).

• Bottom line: Radio pays the same whether one person or a million hears your song.

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Spotify’s Better Deal — Transparent and Scalable

Spotify pays from a total royalty pool of about $0.003 to $0.005 per stream — but that’s split between labels, publishers, distributors, and songwriters. The songwriter’s share is roughly $0.0005 to $0.001 per stream.

What does that mean?

• To match radio’s $300-$3,000 from 30,000 spins, you only need 600,000 to 3 million streams.

• A big hit with 5 million streams pays $2,500 to $5,000 directly to the songwriter.

• Every play counts, no matter where the listener is or when they tune in.

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Why Spotify Wins

• Radio pays per spin, not per listener. Spotify pays per listen.

• Anyone can upload to Spotify; radio airplay is locked behind gatekeepers and playlists.

• Spotify fixed the piracy problem; without it, music theft would be rampant again.

• Spotify’s global reach and transparent data mean fairer, measurable royalties.

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Data Snapshot

Platform	Payout Type	Effective Rate	Monthly Songwriter Earnings (Example)	Audience Reach
Terrestrial Radio	Per spin	$0.001 - $0.01 per spin	$300 - $3,000 (30,000 spins)	~60 million impressions
Spotify	Per stream	$0.0005 - $0.001 per stream	$2,500 - $5,000 (5 million streams)	5 million actual plays

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The revolution happened while we weren’t looking. Spotify didn’t kill songwriter income — it exposed how badly radio was paying all along.

So, if you’re still blaming Spotify for your low income, you’re just doing the math wrong. Spotify’s model is imperfect, sure — but it’s the best payout songwriters have ever had. And that’s the truth no one wants to hear.