When you create something that will last long after you pass away this creation will be part of your legacy.
Consider the legacy of Jim Morrison. Without question, the front man of The Doors was part of a body of work that has endured for decades after his passing.
One of his partners in the band was keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Sadly, Manzarek passed away in Germany recently after finally succumbing to cancer. He was 74 years of age.
The legacy of the keyboard player and songwriter will be forever alive in the music that he created with The Doors and the other projects that he contributed to over the years.
Not everyone can leave behind a song catalog as an artistic legacy, but all of us can do certain things that would help our families remember us.
Ray Manzarek published a book back in 1999 that opened a window through which the reader could see the experiences that The Doors went through from an insider’s perspective. This book, Light My Fire, is considered to be a must-read for true fans of the band.
There is something for the everyday person to take away from this. Even if you don’t have rock star experiences to share, you may want to take the time to author your own memoirs. You could leave them behind as part of your portfolio of estate planning documents.
Your family members would then have the opportunity to hear your voice in their heads once again as they gain a unique perspective into your thoughts and benefit from the experiences that you share in the manuscript.
This can be a profound act that can enable your legacy to endure on the printed page. In addition to the value it would have for your loved ones, it could also serve as a genealogical aid for generations of your family that are still unborn.
