In political terms though, he was gently fading away, enjoying a private life.
As we roamed the streets, I was trying to summon up a past that has been gently fading away.
Twelve months ago, Europe was billed as the new superpower, its superiority apparently set while an era of US dominance gently faded away.
From the glow, beams of light come slowly into being, reaching up into the darkness, straight as spears, before gently fading away again.
Here Froch looked tired and hurt at times by an opponent who was expected to rise to the crowd's expectations for a few rounds, before gently fading away in the second half of the fight.
The dominance of Sukhothai gently faded away over the centuries, as people moved further south to be nearer the main waterways for trading, and the jungle began to reclaim the site.
Before me was a worn journal of thin and discolored pages and a neat script that was gently fading away.
This is why we can sometimes find ourselves gently mocking a loved one even as they fade away from us.
