Kings Never Die

“What if” history has always had a certain attraction to many people. What if certain kings had not died when they did? What if Jesus had not died, but lived to be a senior citizen?

The rapper Eminem has a song, “Kings Never Die,” inspired by the movie Southpaw. It ends with the words, Here to stay / Even when I’m gone / When I close my eyes / Through the passage of time / Kings never die.

But he’s wrong. Kings die. They really do.

Elvis Presley was the “King of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” and he died at age 42 from cardiac arrest. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed by an assassin at age 39. Jesus was described as “King of the Jews” (v. 38), and died on a cross in his early 30s.

Kings die. All the time.

But what if they were able to avoid such tragic ends?

The Atlantic magazine (September 2018) recently asked the question: “Whose untimely death would you most like to reverse?” If you could turn back time and save a great leader, who would you pick? And what difference would it make?

Buddy Holly wasn’t the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll, but is often described as the Father of Rock...