gone too soon

Gone too soon. It seems that's used way too often when talking about a great artist. Gone too soon. Not that I think that it's a good thing to lose a talent young and in their prime, but is there something inherently necessary about it? Would those artist continue to be relevant if they lived long lives? would we study them? Listen to the records over and over again? watch their movies or visit their paintings in museums? Would they continue to intrigue us? Would we create scandals, or discuss the actual scandals that were there? If Chevy Chase were to have died young would we be hailing him as one of the great comedic talents of our time? If Elliott Smith had gotten healthy and continued to make music, would he be making the heartbreakingly beautiful music that he had? Pain and struggle seems to be the common denominator in genius, and if that's gone would it still blow our hair back? If Nick Drake were around today would he make us think? When someone ceases to evolve artistically, do they continue to be talked about? Gone too soon. Tragic and illogical, but perhaps necessary?