What is happening to so many icons of my race?

What is with so many of the old black iconic female singers blowing up in size? It is really sad to me: Chakka, Patti, Aretha (BIG AS A HOUSE) Franklin, Etta James (to the point that she had to have surgery. I worry about this – diabetes, hypertension, heart disease all typically associated with increased body weight are major killers in the black community and I hate to see singers who so many look up to just seem to let themselves go. The male singers do it too – Peabo, Barry White, Luther Vandross (thing is so many of the men were already large that the change in size is not as shocking as when I see a singer go from rail thin to able to block the sun at noon) Chakka can now go “through the fire” by blocking air to it. Is this going to happen to Beyonce in 20 years? (not putting Beyonce in that class of singer yet! But I think she has the charisma and staying power to grow more and more)

Anyone close to me knows that I am not just worried about my weight I am paranoid about it, but as little as I do to keep the weight off I don’t think a time will ever come that I could comfortably allow myself to balloon a 100lbs and not do something drastic to take care of it…I love the above singers and I fear that if the black community does not do more to watch its overall lifestyle that more icons will be lost. RIP Luther, Barry and Etta!

Weird thing to note the amount of 50’s and 60’s icons that passed this week – I know they were old but a bunch died at the same time (I always think older folks die in groups because the will to live is extinguished when friends depart and not because of superstitions like death in 3’s or 7’s or whatever # peeps pick)

Now back to my 2.30am bar studies!