Gord Downie's terminal-illness disclosure an act of decency

My my, hey hey
Rock and roll is here to stay
It's better to burn out
Than to fade away
My my, hey hey.

-- Neil Young, from Rust Never Sleeps (1979)

Not long ago, it seemed like there were only two ways for rock stars to depart this planet.

You could dieviolently and prematurely, like Tupac Shakur, Amy Winehouse and other members of what Kurt Cobain's mother called "that stupid club."

Or you could enjoy success for many decades,agegracefully and then suddenlysuccumb to an illness few, if any of your fans, wereaware existed. For recent examples, consider David Bowie and Prince,although the cause of death has yetto be determined in the latter's case.

While this is a gross oversimplificationit wouldn't be fair to suggest either Bowie or Princeever receded from view during theirlatter yearsboth theburn-out andfade-away scenarios are tough on fans.Simply put,suddendepartures prevent people from saying goodbye to their favourite recording artists.

This is why there was somethingthoughtful about the manner in which The Tragically Hip chose to announce lead singer Gord Downie's terminal brain cancer. On Tuesday,the Canadian band announced thatDownie, 52, has been treated for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of tumourthat usually kills peoplewithin 15 months of diagnosis.

In other words, The Hip frontman is going to die some time in the near future, but likely not in the immediate future. The relatively early disclosure of Downie's illness gives hisband a chance to conduct another tour and give their fans an opportunityto say goodbye.

• Gord Downie, Tragically Hip singer, has terminal cancer
• Gord Downie's glioblastoma: what you need to know

Onone hand,this couldbe seen as little more thanan attempt to cash in on Downie's illness and drive up sales of Man Machine Poem, The Hip's forthcoming album. But that would be an exceptionally cynical take, given that dozens of performing actsmade up ofperfectly healthy musicianshave conducted phony farewell tours over many decades. The Who, for example,went on its first farewelltour in 1980 and effectively spent the majority of itsexistence as a band saying goodbye and thanks for all the lovely moneyto its fans.

Even if there is a profit motive behind the timing of The Hip's announcement, it remains anact of decency. Had the band failed to disclose the fact Downie will soon warble out his final rendition of Little Bones orAhead By A Century, fans who failed to buy tickets to The Hip's final tour would forever kick themselves for failing to do so,or express resentment they never got the chance.

The early disclosuregives Gord Downie and his fans a chance to express affection for each other while they're both capable of appreciating the sentiment. This is the very opposite of morbid, as it amounts to a celebration of Downie's music while he remains alive.

The Hip are not alonein taking this path. In 2014,Spirit Of The West continued to tour after frontman John Mann disclosed he is dealing with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. This allowedMann and his fans to say goodbyeto each other and also raised awareness about the degenerative brain condition, which does not only afflict older people.

Likewise, British guitarist Wilko Johnsonformerly of Dr. Feelgood and perhaps better known in North America as the executioner from GameOf Thronesraised awareness about pancreatic cancer in 2013, when he continued to tour after his own terminal diagnosis.

By mere virtue of the publicity surrounding his illness, GordDownie has already made millions of Canadians more aware of glioblastoma and its symptoms. That may serve aslittle comfort to his friends and family, but the medical profession ought to be encouraged, as the disease can be treated even if it can not be cured.

More importantly, fans of The Tragically Hip now have the option of seeing him off. They have time to prepare, unlike the many millions ofCobain,Winehouse,Bowie or Prince fanswho never had another crack at seeingtheir own favourite recording artists before they burned out or faded away.

The decision to disclose an illness is a very personal one for a public figure. Gord Downie's decision to do so, at a relatively early stage to boot, could be seen as more generous than selfish.