Why do we Idolize Dead Rock Stars?

I own a music store and make a living out of selling dead rock star t-shirts, posters, necklaces and the such.

Every since my granddaughter was a baby we had a picture of Jim Morrison and another framed photograph  of Jimi Hendrix on our living room wall. I thought nothing of it. Neva'eh Angel is now 6 years old and learning about music and art is one of her favorite past times.She likes to stalk our customers at
Rocking fun Music tm Records. She follows them and tries to sell her own creative drawings for $10.00, but most of the time , she will take a quarter. She is at the point where she makes the sales teams at Best Buy and Apple look like amateurs.

About a month ago a patron asked to buy the framed art of Jim Morrison that used to be at our residents, but is now on display at the store. Nevae'h looked shocked and mortified, she said "No, you can't buy that, that is my uncle." I was like, "Nevae'eh don't be rude to the customer." I thought she was hording the picture for her future collection. She began to cry,  but Grandma, that's my Uncle Jim. I then had to explain to her that Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix where not family. Her young mind  just assumed since they used to be on the wall with her own family members, they were relatives. Her mother, her grand parents, and cousins, shared the wall with the portraits of the two iconic rock stars, so it was a logical assumption.

As I began to explain to her that Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix died young and were in heaven , it occurred to me, these men made bad choices, they used drugs and died from them. Why do we choose to idolize such characteristics? I came to the conclusion it is not the behaviors we relate to , but the feeling these to men expressed through music. In our hearts we want them to make it. We want them to survive, and by keeping their images around for forever we some how are saying to them, "I still believe in you. Now this time around ,you made it."