Remembering John, mourning Elizabeth

Hardly a week goes by that we don't lose a famous entertainer or politician -- or observe the anniversary of someone who died long ago. And so it is with the deaths of John Lennon, gunned down 30 years ago today, and Elizabeth Edwards, who succumbed to cancer yesterday.

Their personalities and their deaths could not have been more different and, so, too will be their legacies.

Lennon was a musical genius and the leader of what I would argue was the world's most influential band. The Beatles burst onto the scene in the early '60s and with their mop-top haircuts and collarless suits (so tame to look back on now), both looked and sounded different from anyone we'd seen or heard on this side of the Atlantic. As the band experimented with different styles and influences, their catalog of albums expanded our definition of what pop and rock music could be: Rubber Soul, Revolver, Yellow Submarine, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Let It Be.

"Nowhere Man" came up on my iPod as I was running this morning, but I like this video of "I'm A Loser" a little better.




Where Lennon cultivated an image of a rebel, Elizabeth Edwards conveyed something entirely different: a woman of grace, courage, remarkable honesty and resilience.

We all know her story: an accomplished lawyer; the loyal wife who supported her ambitious husband during his political campaigns; the betrayed spouse who endured the humiliation of John's infidelity; the mother of four who lost her her oldest child to a car crash; and, lastly, an author who wrote candidly and about her life's ups and downs and spoke forcefully about her determination to make the best of each day, even as she was losing her life to breast cancer.

As political spouses go, Elizabeth Edwards seemed to have a real sense of humanity and genuineness that separated her from the rest of the pack. As a mother and a human being, she was an inspiration.

Photo of Elizabeth Edwards: http://www.inquisitr.com