When a famous person dies I nearly always make a point of comparing their age with mine. (David Frost was 12 years older than me.) It gives me an idea of where I stand.
I've never had anyone that close to me die young. My grandfather died in his 40s (of a bungled operation) and my uncle in his 20s (killed in the war )but both were before my time.
It's not so much about calculating the date of one's own demise as surveying the landscape to see who's still standing. It's about putting oneself in context.
You are the same age as my husband. I'm one year younger.
It was a bit of a shock to hear that David Frost was only 74. I thought he was much older than me, not just 13 years older.
I enjoyed That Was The Week That Was in the mid-60s, but I hadn't realised he was only 23 when he first became famous. I remember his as looking older. Perhaps it was the short hair, suit, collar and tie at a time when the younger generation were growing their hair and wearing casual clothes?
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Date: 2013-09-02 08:42 am (UTC)It was a bit of a shock to hear that David Frost was only 74. I thought he was much older than me, not just 13 years older.
I enjoyed That Was The Week That Was in the mid-60s, but I hadn't realised he was only 23 when he first became famous. I remember his as looking older. Perhaps it was the short hair, suit, collar and tie at a time when the younger generation were growing their hair and wearing casual clothes?
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Date: 2013-09-02 09:07 am (UTC)I can't say I'd given it any thought, but if you'd asked me I'd have guessed he was in his 80s.
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Date: 2013-09-01 09:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-02 07:48 am (UTC)