22 November, 2013

Eclipsed in death: We remember JFK, but what about Aldous Huxley, or CS Lewis? - Comment - Voices - The Independent

Eclipsed in death: We remember JFK, but what about Aldous Huxley, or CS Lewis? - Comment - Voices - The Independent: Huxley died at 5:20pm, London time, on 22 November 1963. About ten minutes later, CS Lewis died. Just under an hour after that, of course, JFK was shot and killed in Dallas. There may never have been a deadlier 70 minutes for celebrity, but others have been tied similarly by fatal coincidence (see below).

Of course, this is all trivial on the face of it - as meaningful as coincidental birthdays - but, aside from challenging obituarists, coincidental deaths can also raise awkward questions. Who is more important? Who deserves top billing in the press - and why? And what does it mean for their families?