When the Music Stays Young but the Musicians Don’t

Aging in the Spotlight

Photo by Matthijs Smit on Unsplash

Recently, two separate medical scares occurred on stage involving Rod Stewart (81) and Lionel Richie (77). These two were both a huge part of the foundation of our formative years. We see them as ageless, as timeless; classics. But lately, we have seen them as humans who age just like anyone else.

On 6/19/26, during a show of his One Last Time tour in Utah, Rod Stewart was performing “Young Turks” when he became dizzy and almost passed out on stage. He was given oxygen before completing the show while sitting down, after saying to the audience, “the show must go on.” As of yet, no official cause has been reported as to what brought this on. Some speculated that Utah’s high altitude could have been a contributing factor. According to many reports, there had also been recent show cancellations and postponements due to an upper respiratory infection and laryngitis.

On 6/24/26, during the first show of the Sing a Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire in Minnesota, Lionel Richie became dizzy and had to sit down during his performance of “Dancing on the Ceiling”. He then performed “Three Times a Lady” sitting at the piano, then called an unexpected intermission. After a 40-minute delay, it was announced that he was unable to return. It was later reported that, following his doctor’s orders, he will be postponing two shows and then returning to the stage on June 30 in Pittsburgh.

“Maggie May,” “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” “Young Turks,” “Forever Young,” and so many more will echo in our heads forever. “Dancing on the Ceiling,” “All Night Long,” “Endless Love,” “Hello,” and all the other amazing hits are more than just songs; they are emotions that feed us, and they will always be in our hearts.

It’s not easy to see and realize that the musicians who shaped our youth with timeless hits bigger than life are not as young as they used to be. None of us are. It happens — but their music will never age.

These profound, soul-hugging, life-altering bodies of work are the closest thing we have to a time machine. The memory of “that one time when…” will live forever in every note of every song.

Gone Too Soon — Never Forgotten

We’ve lost some amazing musicians way too early — before they had the chance to age, like Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, all just 27 years old, and Stevie Ray Vaughan (35), or going further back, Buddy Holly (22) and Richie Valens (17). I like to imagine there’s an alternate universe out there where they didn’t die young.

Lived a Legacy — Always Remembered

Some gave us all the music they could, pouring their souls out to us until their age caught up with them.

• Walt Parazaider, one of the founding members of the band Chicago, recently died at the age of 81 on June 17, 2026.
• Ozzy Osbourne — July 22, 2025, at the age of 76
• Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac — November 30, 2022, at the age of 79
• Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys — June 11, 2025, at the age of 82.
• Dickey Betts of The Allman Brothers Band — April 18, 2024, at the age of 80
• Loretta Lynn — October 4, 2022, at the age of 90.
• Charlie Watts, drummer since 1963 for The Rolling Stones — August 24, 2021, at the age of 80

There are so many more I could list, but I’m sure you already know. They lived to make music and did it till they left this earth. We still have their music that will live forever. They left those gifts here for us to hold on to them and remember.

Still Going Strong

Then you have people like Buddy Guy (89), Smokey Robinson (86), Ringo Starr (85), Paul McCartney (84), Keith Richards (82), and Eric Clapton (81), to name a few, who are all still in very good health. All of these guys are still writing music and still performing, to which we are grateful! I don’t know how they do it, but please keep doing it!

Prayers and healing vibes for Sir Rod and Lionel!