Stevie's legacy compared to janis's

[mikephxaz]

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

In the case of Elvis he was a seminal figuure in the history of rock every bit as popular and important as the Beatles.He would be a legend no matter when he died that is just fact and I am not even that much of a fan.Michael Jackson was nearly as huge as Elvis and the Beatles .

I agree with most of this but I think what makes the thread question interesting is...if Elvis or Michael had grown old in front of us and their life would have continued to spiral down, out of control, would they have died with as big of a legacy??? I have to guess that had Elvis died on the toilet at 80, still eating bannana sandwiches and habitual pill popping mess instead of dying in his early 40ties - he may have still been considered an early rock and roll legend but, like Michael, he was getting to be considered to be a real messed up joke at 42...what would have happened if he had survived another 35 years spiraling downward..it could have been messy....His gospel music fans would certainly not have stuck around...