The death of Michael Jackson

Yesterday, Michael Jackson passed away.

I will not go into the allegations and what some people thought he had done, and what others claimed wasn’t true (for those interested, you can read more in the Wikipedia article about Michael Jackson). None of us really knows, and never will, so I will leave that behind for now.

Michael Jackson affected an entire world with his music and his dancing, and he was filled with an extreme amount of talent. No matter whether you were a fan or not, the impact he has had on artists and the entertainment industry as a whole is mind-blowing. Especially his album Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, and the accompanying video truly changed the scene.

He grew up being exposed to child abuse from his father, and the first time he performed on stage, he was only five years old. From what I have read and seen, I think that he never got to be a child in his life. It seems like he desperately tried to get back some of his childhood throughout his entire life – loving toys, amusement parks and other things children adore.

Suffice to say, his life was full of ups and downs. He was just about to make his last scheduled performances in his career in London, but never got to start on them.

When someone famous, from the time when I grew up, passes away, it gives a sort of feeling like someone you actually knew died. It’s an unpleasant feeling, and no matter what you though about Michael Jackson, please acknowledge the impact he had on the musical world.

Rest in peace, Michael.

9 Comments

  • David says:

    Well said! And it's not too theatrically 😉

  • Martin S. says:

    Michael Jackson should be remembered for his contributions to the music industry. He's a true icon and the loss of King of Pop is a sad day for the music and entertainment business.

    Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.

  • Andreas says:

    Sure I can acknowledge the impact he had on the musical world.

    But I can't acknowledge his death as more or less tragic than any other death. Im thinking about the woman who got shot by iran police because she was demonstrating. Im thinking about the plan that crashed in the atlantic a few weeks ago. And all other who suffers on daily basis in our world.

  • Robert Nyman says:

    David,

    Thank you!

    Martin S,

    Absolutely, it is.

    Andreas,

    No one's death is more or less tragic than any other death. I feel just as bad about the people you mention and their fates. The reason for writing about Michael Jackson here is that, with growing up when he was a superstar, it affected me a lot – and, a lot of other people, I believe.

  • Richard Fink says:

    Michael Jackson was a great, great talent. If he couldn't dance, he would have made it as a singer. If he couldn't sing, he would have made it as a dancer. And he wrote a lot of good stuff, too.

    There was a video I saw years ago, of Michael jackson singing a straight-ahead rock tune, totally unlike his usual stuff, that he had done in collaboration with a rock guitarist from a well-known band at the time. (Sorry, going blank on who it was.)

    All he did was stand there and sing and you just couldn't take your eyes off him. Magnetism like that is rare.

    Obviously, he was a deeply flawed human being, but his art will push that into the backgound as time goes by.

  • Robert Nyman says:

    Richard,

    Absolutely, he was incredibly talented.

    However, in regards to him being deeply flawed, personally I wouldn't want to make such a judgment. We don't really know much about him and his personality, besides from the image media has created.

  • Chevi says:

    August 30th, 2009

    Michael Jackson just seat in his coffin for such a long period of time. I think that is a direct indication of how uncertain his life really was as an Entertainer. The media and now the police can only blame what appears to be a well established black doctor. Once you account for all of the unrest in Michael Jackson's life, the torture of being an American Citizen, his stressful business affairs and his public and private life it will be clear to see he died of natural causes from a harassed life, first. Many don't think of it, but many of us don’t wake up to stalk celebrities in the wee hours of the night, following their every move and taking pictures of them or anyone else. But the Media does. We are conditioned to see it as glamorous, successful, etc… Take that into account along with endless red tapes in contracts and contract trickery. It would worry the average person to death! By going after the doctor they're getting 2 for 1. I say shame on the media!

  • Robert Nyman says:

    Chevi,

    I agree that the pressure Michael Jackson went through in his life was probably extremely agonizing. To say what killed him? Maybe the doctor's injection killed him, but it was also in regards to in what physical shape he was, that he needed it to sleep and so on. Many factors come into play.

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