COMMENTARY | Many notable deaths marked the year 2011. Among them, the following individuals stand out as people whose defiance of convention forever changed their respective industries. A technological innovator, a humanitarian actress and a soulful songstress rewrote the rules and redefined the very meaning of excellence. As a result, our expectations of greatness have been altered forever.
Steve Jobs: A Technological Innovator
It could be argued that Steve Jobs is one of the sole reasons that technology revolutionized the world as quickly as it did. Due to his practical, down-to-earth focus on the user experience, he single-handedly made computers cool. He focused on humans, and what we wanted computers to do, and brought to life the dreams we didn't know we had. He seemed to have an innate ability to tap into the collective unconscious; he intuitively knew what people wanted from technology and ushered us into the future, putting the unimaginable at our very fingertips.
Elizabeth Taylor: A Humanitarian Actress
A child star turned movie star, and movie star turned activist, Liz Taylor played many roles throughout her life. Her performances made her the leading lady on the silver screen. Her work in the fight against HIV and AIDS made her a leader in humanitarianism. Her championing of Jewish causes made her a legend. Not many people would offer themselves up as a replacement hostage in order to secure someone else's freedom. Elizabeth Taylor, however, did exactly during the Entebbe Skyjacking in 1976, successively integrating guts and glamour.
Amy Winehouse: A Soulful Songstress
Though the words "tortured" and "tormented" have been used repeatedly to describe this iconic singer/songwriter, those were undoubtedly the exact qualities that made her music so mesmerizing. She publicly and unabashedly wrestled her demons through her lyrics and her raw, unpretentious sound. Where others try to capture deep emotions artistically, Amy Winehouse effortlessly channeled, and expertly conveyed, the darkest elements of the human soul.
Each of these individuals personified determination, genius and talent. Though their contributions to society were markedly different, each had a larger-than-life persona and left behind a legacy that will be long remembered. Steve Jobs changed the way we relate to technology, Elizabeth Taylor created our definition of star and Amy Winehouse reinvented the very idea of soul.
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