Three Powerful "Swan Songs:" Spectacular Achievements By Artists Knowing They Were About To Die

"You can have it all: my empire of dirt"

He makes a swan-like end, fading in music —Merchant of Venice

The very idea of the swan song comes from an old legend that swans sing their most beautiful melody as they are dying. And while this may not be true of swans, it does seem to hold true with a few artists. Some writers, painters, and musicians have managed to achieve their greatest masterwork…