“…words”

On a friend's music page we were speaking of where we were when we got the news of John Lennon’s murder. I was standing in the hallway of WBAI radio in NYC. I had just come off the air, and a friend called. She was weeping, and could barely get out what had happened. 

She just kept saying, “…he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead.” 

I thought it was her boyfriend. This till I realized who she meant. I was silent. I mean struck silent. We immediately went on the air with this. Usually on mic there’s no shutting me up. However that night I barely said 10 words. What human words could describe the meaning of death.