COVID-19 is robbing musicians of their final chapter – and fans of their swan song performances

• COVID-19 and the passage of time have jeopardized the ability to see our favorite veteran stars.
• Multi-million dollar sales of back catalogs speak to how iconic musicians are reassessing legacies.
• Even if the pandemic eases, fans may be concert-shy: Only 13% feel comfortable seeing a live-music show in the next month.

When the great R&B singer Ronnie Spector died on Jan. 12, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland enacted its ritual. The building’s flag got lowered, Spector's music was played all day, and her photos and artifacts took center stage.

CEO Greg Harris is tired of it: “We’ve lowered our flag too many times over the last two years,” he says.

A dual tragedy has played out since the pandemic hit in early 2020.

There’s the drumbeat of obituaries for aging musicians whose rock, country and jazz hits shook, rattled and rolled the culture. Little Richard, Bill Withers, John Prine, Chick Corea, Charley Pride, ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, Michael Nesmith, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Charlie Daniels and Charlie Watts, to name but a few.