What is longevity without good health?

Recognize her? To the left is a young Linda Maria Ronstadt at the peak of her profession in the realm of music. To the right is Linda Maria Ronstadt, age 72, no longer a singer, not by her own choice, but because Parkinson's Disease has robbed her of her ability to sing. Accompanying this post is a video of her performing, "Tracks of My Tears," when she was a world-reowned singer. Also present is a video of the Rolling Stones on stage doing, "Out of Control," on March 25, 2016, in Havana, Cuba. In stark contrast to Ronstadt, the Stones similarly are all in their seventies, but seem to have the energy of teenagers.  What is longevity without good health?

 

Tell me how have I changed

 

You never know where a sight or a sound will take you. Do you?

 

I turned on the television a while ago and saw a familiar face on the screen. It was Linda Ronstadt, immediately recognizable, although it was a considerably older version of the youthful face I was accustomed to see singing songs beautifully. She is 72 years old now, a victim of Parkinson's Disease and can no longer sing.

 

I compare this to the Rolling Stones, who I saw in Minneapolis in 2015 and who will be on tour again this year. I am not sure when the birthdays are for the guys in this outfit, but as of right now the oldest is Charlie Watts, 77, followed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, both 75. Ronnie Wood is the junior member. He is 71.

 

If anyone needs evidence that life is not fair -- and, for that matter, that equality is a "legislated" thing and not an "actual" thing, all one needs to do is to compare the lives of these individuals.

 

I am certain there are people who wish they could exchange lives with Ronstadt, despite her struggle with Parkinson's. She had a fabulous career signing rock and country rock, beginning in the 1960s. She was lead singer for the Stone Poneys, the highly-publicized girlfriend of then-governor of Nebraska, Robert "Bob" Kerry, who had won the Congressional Medal of Honor as a Navy SEAL in Vietnam, was on the cover of Time and Rolling Stone magazines, was the highest paid woman in rock music, and on and on ad infinitum.

 

But, in my mind, the acclaim and the prominence of early life cannot make up for the end of life suffering from Parkinson's Disease. My maternal grandmother spent the last seven years of her life with Parkinson's in a nursing home. When she was medicated, she was little more than a zombie, essentially not knowing who she was or where she was. When not medicated, her mind was clear and her memory good, but she was in pain and constantly trembling.

 

During the course of her television interview, Ronstadt said: "When you've been able to do certain things all your life, like put your shoes on and brush your teeth or whatever -- when you can't do that, you sort of go, 'What's this?'" she says. "You know, what's happening here? Come help me with this. And then you have to learn to ask people to help, and that -- that took a little doing. But I do that now, because I need the help."

 

What probably got me thinking about this other than seeing Ronstadt on television and knowing that the Stones were again on tour was encountering Ronni Rae Rivers singing, "It's Only Make Believe." I have heard the Conway Twitty version countless times and, to be honest, I did not recall he was dead. I set out to jolt my memory about how and when. I learned that Twitty became ill while performing at the Stafford Theatre in Branson, Missouri. He died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm on June 4, 1993, at the age of 59. Hmmmm .... pretty young guy in the overall scheme of things ....

 

After listening to the Ronni Rae version of the Twitty song, I listened to Twitty's version a few times and to the same song sung by other singers. I do think no one can sing it as well as Twitty, but Ronni Rae is my first choice for a performance of it by a woman.

 

Returning to Parkinson's for a few words, here is another quote from Ronstadt: "They're learning so much more about it every day. If not, I mean, I'm 72. We're all going to die. So, they say people usually die with Parkinson's. They don't always die of it because it's so slow-moving. So, I'll figure I'll die of something. And I've watched people die, so I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of suffering, but I'm not afraid of dying."

 

Ronstadt has the words and the attitude to face life head on .... she evidently knows and understands herself well. She is a courageous woman and merits the best wishes and prayers for serenity and peace.

 

Yep, life goes on, with or without Parkinson's, with or without equality. In the meanwhile, the nearest the Stones will come to the Twin Cities on this tour is Denver and Chicago. I just might gear up and head on out to catch a show.

 

This might be my last chance .... I mean even the Stones cannot last forever .... can they?