" Better to burn out than to rust. "
Freddie Mercury would have been 70 next year. Is his "rockstar" image better because we never saw him grow old? Does this apply to other musicians who burned brightly and died young? What musicians should have quit rather than working into middle age?
I think that does apply to the musicians that died young like Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin.
A couple of musicians and singers that should have quit are Stevie Nicks and Grace Slick and also Chrissie Hynde and Neil Young.
Have you seen Axl Rose lately? Man, someone give the man some change and a shower. Slash on the other hand is still as badass as ever.
I don't know if it's better, as I would have liked to have heard what music would have come from Queen had he not died. I think what you're saying could absolutely be applied to some, the Rolling Stones for example...any time I've heard them lately they've been terrible.