We Built Legends and Buried Human Beings

It’s sad how often we treat musicians as disposable. The “rock-and-roll lifestyle” has become so normalized that we almost expect artists to struggle with addiction, depression, and burnout. Then, when a beloved musician dies young from overdose or suicide, we mourn the loss but rarely address the culture that helped create it. Too often, the very people profiting from these artists are also enabling their destruction.

Why don’t we view musicians and artists as treasures worth protecting? These are the poets and storytellers who create the music that defines generations, shapes culture, and inspires people for decades to come. But artists are vulnerable people by nature. Imagine if the industry prioritized their well-being as much as their productivity — surrounding them with support, counseling, accountability, and people committed to protecting them instead of exploiting them.

Great art shouldn’t require self-destruction. Instead of using artists up and discarding them, perhaps we should value their humanity as much as we value their talent. Just think of all the music we’ll never hear. Their gift was squandered unnecessarily, but even more so, their soul.