LONDON ¨C The year 2016 has so far witnessed the death of three musical greats: Prince, David Bowie and Merle Haggard. When Haggard died, National Public Radio felt comfortable announcing ¡°Country Music Legend and Icon, Dies at 79.¡± Those two terms are often considered interchangeable, but are they? Is there a difference?
Many entertainers have been labeled icons ¡ª Britney Spears is a prime example. But the three musicians who just passed seem to be in a different realm. Not just their artistic genius unites them. It¡¯s the fact that our culture ¡ª and our world ¡ª are different because they existed.
An icon can show us who we are. But a legend shows us who we could be.
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