Heather Fell, Olympic silver medallist, writes about her life in the media and sports world.

NEVER has the powerful influence of performing arts been more apparent than with the sad passing this week of two greats — musician David Bowie and actor Alan Rickman, both aged just 69.

Tributes to these influential men have been flowing in and the public’s emotional outpouring has been shared across all forms of media. Beyond the obvious and immediate sadness of any death come the unanswered questions, the untold stories and often regret.

Growing up I had little exposure to music and film; consequently I have to admit that I was not subjected to the influence of these men and their remarkable talents. The public grieving over the past week has genuinely opened my eyes to the powerful impact of their work on so many.

A large part of my musical taste was shaped by what I heard on the radio including the weekly chart show which I would record on my cassette player. If I were a teenager today, I would undoubtedly be more conversant with the music of David Bowie as his songs made up a whopping 25% of last week’s sales. Testimony to the power of the media, the unexpected influence of death and the ability of great music to span generations. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and digitised back catalogues, I can discover the works of these artists all for myself and their fantastic contribution to culture will always be remembered.

As a child growing up my focus was purely on doing. I loved sport —but only the partaking — and this was partly due to having no television at home. I do not feel I missed out on a great deal except perhaps the wonderful music of David Bowie — the first time around. Time to update my playlist!