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Wait, Men are children of Iluvatar too; are they not? Why do they not fade? Is it that they die too soon for the "fading" process to begin?
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First off, I don't believe their fading has to do with incapatability. It has to do with the natural rate of decay in Middle-earth, about 144 times faster than in the Blessed Land.
Yes, men generally don't fade because they die before their bodies fade. There are exceptions, such as the 9.
Although the Mouth of Sauron did not decay, so my understanding of something must be off, or the Mouth of Sauron was an inconsistancy.
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Also, on the subject of the One Ring giving long life: Did wearing it once give a mortal everlasting immortality, or did the mortal have to keep it with him? If not, why did Gollum continue to live so long after the Ring was lost to him?
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When Bilbo gave up his ring, he started to age. Even so, it was not immediate. Bilbo continued to live beyond the years that Hobbits normally live.
As far as Gollum goes, I can see two different possibilities why he did not physically age as quickly as Gollum:
Gollum still had a part of play, so Eru kept him young.
or
Gollum had the ring longer, therefore its effect would remain longer.
[ August 01, 2003: Message edited by: Nils ]