Kev Kennedy's Blog

Rest In Peace, Stephen Gately

The sudden death of Stephen Gately is the subject of much rumour and speculation. Untimely deaths usually are. For me, the shock came when I was told be a friend who followed up with the words “And he was only thirty three!”

Wait a second. I’m 33. I’m the same age and he’s just died in mysterious circumstances, which may be medical and might be the sort of thing that could happen to anyone.

Anyone who’s aged 33.

Obviously, when you hear news like this your thoughts do go out to the family and his close friends. It’s a shock and it’s a tragedy. But it also brings home to you a sense of your own mortality.

On this year’s X-Factor, one contestant has consistently said the show is his “last chance”. Why? Because he’s 33. How depressing. If you’re 33 like me, then stop daydreaming about making it. If it was going to happen to you it will have happened by now.

So, on the one hand 33 is the age at which our dreams are laid to rest, but it’s still a shockingly young age to die. So what, exactly, are we meant to do with the rest of our lives?
 

Created on Mon 12th October 2009 12:17