Death On Site: Losing Generational Superstars

I’m sure that isn’t the first article regarding the death of former NFL quarterback, and it most definitely will not be the last.

News broke last week that Steve McNair and a female accomplish were found dead in his downtown Nashville condo, succumbing from multiple gunshot wounds.

McNair is best known for his days with the Tennessee Titans. He famously led the team to one of the greatest Super Bowls in NFL history as the Titans came up one yard short of sending the game into overtime against the Rams.

“Air” McNair retired from the NFL last season as his body just couldn’t take the physical beating any longer. He spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Titans and his last two with the Baltimore Ravens.

McNair was the perfect example of the quintessential NFL athlete. He was tough, aggressive, played injured, hungry, and had a natural passion for the game.

He was simply a warrior.

As stated by many, he will be sorely missed.

McNair’s death just seems to be the latest in a long list of entertainment losses.

First there was the passing of famed Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon, then the death of “Charlie’s Angel” star Farrah Fawcett, followed by the unexpected passing of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson, infomercial giant Billy Mays, film star Karl Malden, and now Steve McNair.

For my generation, this is our first time having to deal with the sudden loss of a generational icon.

Michael Jackson might have been 50 years old at the time of his passing, but he wrote the soundtrack to the lives of many.

From singing with his brothers about the “ABC’s” to stopping a budding gang war using dance moves in “Beat It,” Jackson’s death represented the demise of a part of our culture and our childhood.

Jackson is recognized as the most charitable entertainer in history by the Guinness Book of World Records, giving more than $300 million dollars to various charities.

Famed infomercial giant Billy Mays was the same age of Jackson when he passed away. Mays gained recognition for his “subtle” ways of selling products, such as Oxyclean, Orangeclean, and Kaboom!

Mays popularity grew to new heights as he was recruited by ESPN to perform a commercial advertising their alternate media Web site, ESPN360. Mays died of heart disease a few days after Michael Jackson.

Growing up in the '80s and '90s, one becomes accustomed to hearing Jackson's songs and seeing posters of Farrah Fawcett.

In the '90s, Steve McNair become the new “face” of African-Americans quarterbacks, especially after he led the Titans to their first ever Super Bowl appearance.

Seeing these larger the life figures pass on to the other side isn’t something that we are used to, at least not my generation. My parents lost JFK, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, RFK, Elvis, John Lennon, and more.

Watching the reaction to the death of Michael Jackson, we aren’t handling it so well. There have been seven reported suicides because of his passing and more than 1.6 million people have requested tickets to his memorial service in Los Angeles.

While Steve McNair’s death will not receive as much attention as Jackson's, it does not take away from the importance.

McNair was only the second black quarterback ever to start in a Super Bowl and was close to winning the Heisman Trophy while attending Alcorn State in Mississippi.

Judging by time and history, this will not the first time we’ll have to deal with losing such large and iconic figures in our time. I just hope that we are equipped to deal with tragedy when the time comes.

But then again, who truly is?