Hardly Two of A Kind

They couldn't be more different than if they were the product of fiction. Prince Philip, royal consort and ardent defender of the Crown, and married to Queen Elizabeth for 73 years, passed away at 99. 

DMX, Hip-Hop's preacher of pain in the body of Earl Simmons passed away at 50. Together they shared the front page of this Saturday's NYT in side-by-side obituaries, below the fold.

The last time I can remember there were side-by-side obits on the front page of the NYT was when comedian Jonathan Winters and ballerina Maria Tallchief, were in side-by-side obits on April 12, 2013, below the fold.

Prince Philip was likely the better known of the two, being the Queen of England's husband for 73 years and of course living to just a year short of the century mark.

DMX certainly had his fame with three rap albums in 1998 and 1999 that went platinum several times over. At one point, he was the most famous rapper there was.

Like myself and my own ancestors, Prince Philip is of Greek origins, his uncle was King Constantine of Greece; myself of rural Greek peasants. However, King Constantine was descended from Danish royalty, placed on the Greek throne by other European countries in the 19th century.

Philip was smuggled out of Greece in a fruit crate when the going got tough in the country a year after his birth when the Turks took over Greece.

DMX's origins are of humble origins, the only child of an itinerant and indifferent father, and an often single mother who struggled to raise him and his half sister in a tough Yonkers, NY neighborhood.

Prince Philip, like his wife Queen Elizabeth, shared ancestors who historically could be classified as winners and losers. Philip was the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth is the great-great granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

And both are great-great-great-great-grandchildren of King George III, who famously lost the American colonies to independence  in 1776 and forever relegated Britain to second tier status for not being known for giving the world Coca-Cola. DMX's lineage beyond his parents is not in his obituary.

Both lives had their highs and lows, and you only have to look at he photos and read the captions in the obits to realize how different their lives were. Reading the full texts fills in all the details.  

Should a Black rapper's obit appear on the front page alongside a British Royal? DMX was a Black entertainer who was not known as Prince, but was featured next to one. There are no rules governing this, only editorial choices, which by subsequent editions changes.

Maybe my early edition will count as an inverted Jenny airplane stamp. I'll save the rarity.

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