Dear Mick Jagger, From a Girl With Chronic Illness
Mr. Jagger,
I’ve just read the news of Gregg Allman’s death. He was 69 years old. I’m pretty sure you knew him, especially through your association with Chuck Leavell, so I’d like to say I’m sorry for your loss.
His passing made me immediately think of you. Though you are my favorite musician/performer of all time, I have never written you a fan letter to let you know how much you and your music have meant to me.
I truly believe that if someone has affected your life in a positive way or has meant something to you, you should always let them know. Life is too short to hold in our feelings or praise. Hearing of the passing of your good friend David Bowie, of Glenn Frey and of Chris Cornell has made this task more urgent. I would never want to regret never telling you how I feel. I would never want you to wonder if you ever truly made a difference in a fan’s life.
I’m here to tell you that you have.
I have no connection to you other than through your music. I am not your greatest fan. I have never met you. I have only seen The Rolling Stones tour twice, due to budget constraints and then illness. But for 47 years your music has been a constant in my life. It has been a warm blanket when my life was painted black. It has seen me through tough high school years, wild times at college, divorce, marriage, miscarriages, birth and chronic illness. It is the one thing I have always been able to count on. It is the soundtrack of my life.
Your soulful voice and lyrics, whether from The Stones or your solo work, are as real as it gets. It’s also as good as it gets. Life is not a top 40 dance-able track. It takes us to many dark places, and through many difficult winding paths. From Staten Island, New York to sweet Virginia, you have laid the foundation and followed me wherever I go.
I am lucky to not be waiting on a friend anymore, for I have found a great partner in my husband. His thick, wispy, longish brown hair, slender figure and beautiful blue eyes are reminiscent of you, my first man crush.
I can always hear your voice echo in the distance, from the realization that wild horses couldn’t drag me away from my one true love, to the joy of my children’s births, to sitting and watching life’s tragedies as tears go by. Your music has played through it all.
Whenever I succeeded, or whenever I fell, you were always there. From eight-tracks, to albums, to CDs, to Pandora, you help comfort and lift me up like no other performer. When I walk in Central Park, to when I seem like I’m 2000 Light Years from Home due to my persistent anxiety, you remain my companion. You help me drift away and get lost in a sea of melodies that soothe my often aching body and soul.
Though I know you will probably never see this letter, it makes me feel good to write it. I think we should all do good things and thank many people with no expectations. Some girls really know you, some girls really love you, this girl really appreciates you and the way your music makes me feel. Joyful, unburdened, free, passionate and alive. I will always be a wild teenager when I hear Start Me Up, tell no lies when I walk through a field of Dandelions, and when time is not on my side, I will sit and watch my children doing all the things I used to do with a smile.
Seeing you and The Stones was and always will be one of my favorite memories. I will never forget the anticipation I felt as we drove from Plattsburgh, NY to Shea Stadium back in ’89. I will never forget the butterflies I felt as you approached the stage. I will never forget the adrenaline I felt as your face was projected on the big stadium screens. I will never forget the happiness I felt hearing you sing live.
You will never be just a memory to me. You will always be a talented man who enhanced my life and made me realize my love of music. Your voice and songs will always be a part of me, and I hope a part of my children.
I want you to know how much you have meant to me, how much you still mean to me. You have helped me get through many tough times; you helped me dance in the street.
I hope you live many more happy years, just like your father, Joe. I hope you are surrounded by the love of your beautiful children, and that you never run out of time to keep showing them how much you care.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have given to me and to the world.
Thank you for helping me realize that though God may not have given me everything I want, he gave me everything I need.
Sincerely,
Kathy, a girl with a mind and a blog of her own
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Lead photos via Mick Jagger Facebook page.