I was supposed to prepare an illustration for an editorial cartoons contest this afternoon, but I got the news that Ezio Bosso, Italian composer, musician and orchestra director, passed away.

Then I remembered what a friend of mine and cartoonist, Tjeerd, told me about editorial cartoons: “If the news you read makes you angry, that’s what you need to draw about.”

Bosso had been affected by an aggressive degenerative autoimmune disease for a long time, but he didn’t stop playing, composing and directing. He talked often about the power of music to unite people and demonstrated, with his job and his passion, that human will can overcome the hardest obstacles.

Obviously I never met him, nor I can fully appreciate his music – although music is definitely important for me. What is more important though, is the example he gave to all of us.

Bosso’s departure definitely made me angry, and sad, most of all. The world is a bit more of a lonely place, without him.