2016 has seen rockstars dying not so much in threes, but by the half-dozen. Jupiter-Rahu in Leo is a showbiz signature, and aspected by Saturn is truly a Dark Star. Still, we shouldn't be surprised: the War Babies are getting into years and Anno Domini affects rock 'n' rollers more than most. Musicians live perilous lives, exemplified by Motorhead's Lemmy giving up Jack Daniels and Coke for the much healthier vodka and orange juice, or as Glenn Frey had it, he’s lived "burgers, beer, blow and broads".
The latest round of casualties did not die classic rockstar deaths. Other than Scott Weiland, they did not overdose or perish in plane crashes and none of them was 27. Lemmy died of prostate cancer with complications from diabetes, while David Bowie had a bad heart and liver cancer. If somebody doesn't make it into their eighties today we feel they have been short-changed, though until recently the late sixties was a respectable innings. Leonard Cohen passed peacefully in his sleep this year, aged 82, while Chuck Berry has just celebrated his 90th birthday. Rock and Roll isn't dead yet.
The ranks in the Great Gig in the Sky are swelling, however, and losing some of our leading lights gives a perspective on this historical movement. Jupiter-Rahu is indeed a great totem: Rahu for rebellion, desire and darkness, and Jupiter for excess and a mythic, larger than life quality. Nowadays, life coaches and yoga teachers are our aspiring rockstars, while sipping their herbal teas, and it is hoped this development will bring transformation through exotic culture and genuine Guru's grace.
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