Goodbye, Old Friends I didn't know them, but it feels as if they were old friends....

Today marks the sad passing of ABC News anchor Peter Jennings. I won't add to the already effusive praise of Jennings, except to say that he seems to have lived with class and dignity, all the way until the end. His death really does signify a passing of an era, and so in some curious way, it is doubly affecting.

Less noticed is the death of Cuban musician Ibrahim Ferrer, known as one of the members of the Buena Vista Social Club. In 1940, a 13-year-old orphan, Ferrer joined a band, and proceeded to make beautiful music for the next seven decades. He was temporarily retired, living on a pension and shining shoes to make extra money, when the American musician and musical anthropologist Ry Cooder rediscovered him and coaxed him back into playing. For this, we should all be grateful to Cooder. He gave an old man reason to sing again...and he brought Ferrer's music to the world outside Cuba. Not a bad end to a remarkable life.  ¶ 4:21 PM